Finding Beauty
by Niamh929
Summary: Bella is tormented and tortured by her peers. When she has almost given up, beauty finds her ... in more than one way. BellaxEdward.
1. Introducing Bella

**Disclaimer: Obviously, Stephenie Meyers owns the characters from the world of the ****Twilight**** series. I only like to play with them. But I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.**

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**The alarm clock blared. **6:00 a.m.** flashed in blind red lights from my night stand. _Ohhh_, I sighed internally. _Another day in hell._

The floor against my stocking feet slipped dangerously, as I extricated myself from the comforter I had cocooned myself in. _Why can't I stay home today?_ A new school. A new town. And another set of bullies. That was my life. Just an unending series of humiliation and torture at my expense.

At my last school, in Phoenix, Arizona, one of my tormentors, Tobi, had even gone as far as to ask me to the schools' sophomore semiformal. After asking me twice a day, everyday, for eight days, and constantly being told "no," I finally gave in. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to think that someone might be nice to me. I might have a boyfriend!

I let my mom, Renee, take me to a store in California that specialized in hand made dresses. Dress after dress after dress passed into the fitting room. Silks. Taffeta. Crinoline. Polyester. Every color, fabric, cut and design known to man were passed into me. Some looked ok. Some were hideous and one was down right repulsive. But, finally, the store's clerk helped me to find something that I liked. The satin sheen of the sea foam fabric picked up the minute traces of red in my hair. The floor length gown was single shouldered and fit nicely.

I didn't have any true friends in Phoenix, so no one other than my mother had seen my dress yet. She took me to a salon on the evening of the dance and I had my hair washed, conditioned, blown dry, straightened, curled, pinned, prodded, sprayed and shellacked. But, when we finally left, I looked beautiful. Well, as beautiful as someone with professional training was going to be able to do. The woman was not a magician after all.

Tobi had called that morning, a Saturday in December. He knew my dress was green and was to order a corsage and boutonnière to match. My mom helped me on with my dress so I didn't ruin my hair and makeup. Tobi was coming to pick me up at 7:30 p.m. I sat on the couch with my mom and waited …

…. and waited …..

…. and waited …..

…. and waited …..

Renee sat in the living room with me the whole time. She watched the TV without seeing the programs. At 10:15, I turned off the porch light, took a shower and went to bed. Renee left me alone for the majority of the next day. On Monday, Tobi laughed at me and pointed when I entered the first class we had together. I tried to hide my face behind a panel of my hair but I still heard the whispering and laughing from class mates.

The names and taunts began again ten times worse than before. The final straw came when Tobi scrawled across my locker with black magic marker: "DIE FAT COW!" Renee and my step-dad, Phil, pulled me right out of school and shipped me off to my father, Charlie's place in Forks, Washington. I hadn't spent real time with my dad since I was still in pig tails.

Here in Forks, my mom thought life would be better or easier. I'm sure if she thought it would be easier for me but after saddling Charlie with his sorry excuse for a daughter, it certainly would be easier for her. She would never have to watch me run to my room after school with my face covered in tears or sit with me on a Saturday night watching reruns on cable.

I would be Charlie's burden to carry not Renee's. Charlie, the man who was a sometimes father and an always Chief of Police. He would never be home enough to see my humiliations first hand. In a sick and perverse way, I found it comforting.

Dressing each morning was like an exercise in futility. Most girls loved and lived for their wardrobe. I, on the other hand, only shopped when my clothes got too ratty or too far out of style. Most girls wore Hollister, Abercrombie, or Gap. My closet sported the latest fashions from Fashion Bug, Catherine's and Lane Bryant.

You see because I was plain. I was homely. I was fat. I was Bella.

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**Preview for next chapter: **

**Bella's First Day of School**

**"Nice shirt. Who made that? The Ohio Tent Company?" then the giggling started. I tried to hide my eyes. I could feel the tears burning behind my eyelids. _Please don't cry now_, I thought.**

**Please R&R**


	2. New at FHS

_A new start in a new school might be a good thing,_ I thought driving to school in the car Charlie had bought for me. In the office, I was given a school ID and my schedule for the day.

"Remember, Miss Swan, bring back a copy of that schedule with each teacher's signature on it," Mrs. Cope said I was walked through the door and back into the chilled mid-winter air.

People watched as I passed them to each building. I was new. I was an anomaly. But, because I clearly wasn't going to be "cool" material, I was a pariah. In class, I spoke when spoken to by my class mates and answered with a nod of my head otherwise.

Lunch was tricky. We were forced to sit in assigned seats. My assignment left me at a table of seven with one empty seat. When I sat down, a blonde with a clear agenda gave me "the look." I had gotten it every day from most of the girls that Tobi hung out with. And here come "the words."

"Nice shirt. Who made it? The Ohio Tent Company?" then the giggling started. I tried to hide my eyes. I could feel the tears burning behind my eyelids. _Please don't cry now_, I thought. What I wouldn't give to shrivel up and die right here in the middle of Forks High School. Maybe I could leave school? Just drop out? I was seventeen. I could do it legally. I would get my GED and begin my life as an adult.

A tall girl with brown hair and dark eyes sat next to me. She was silent but I felt her hand move under the table and slip around my own balled fist. I was taken aback. Was this girl really being nice to me or was she just looking for another way to humiliate me when I least expected it?

"I'm Angela Weber," she said in answer to the question in my eyes. "This is Ben. That's Lauren, Jessica. Tyler, Erik and Mike." Lauren. Bitch. Check.

"Isabella Swan. Please call me 'Bella'," I asked her.

I sat silently as talk resumed around me. "Where's your lunch?" Mike asked. "You're not just going to sit there, are you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, noncommittally. I did not eat at school. Heck, I didn't eat in front of anybody but Charlie, Renee or Phil. "No, I guess I'm not hungry."

"You still have time to buy lunch if you want," offered Angela. She pointed towards the lunch line. My eyes darted to the line and then across to a table of students nearby.

"No…" my answer trailed off.

"Ah," Angela caught my line of sight. "I see you've discovered those that are the Cullens and Hales."

For lack of a better word, these five striking students were …. gorgeous. A leggy blonde sat with her feet propped against a formidable looking boy with curly dark brown hair. His muscles bulged from his skin tight shirt as he reached over and bumped fists with a skinner but still well built blonde boy. The blonde male smiled as a tiny black haired pixie took his hand in hers. The four looked bored to be in school but glad of the mutual company.

A fifth boy sat away from the other four at the table. His arms crossed upon his chest, he sat slumped in his chair staring straight up at the ceiling. I could see a flash of bronze hair hanging from the back of the chair but not much else. "The blonde is Rosalie Hale. The big guy is her boyfriend, Emmett Cullen. The tiny one is Alice Cullen and her boyfriend is Jasper Hale. Rosalie and Jasper are siblings and so are the other three. Their father, Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted his sister's kids, that's the Cullens, and, then, took in the Hales, too. You should see Dr. Cullen. Talk about handsome!"

"You want to talk about handsome? Have you seen Edward Cullen, yet?" Jessica whispered leaning across the table to me.

"Edward is out of her league," Lauren answered, pushing Jessica back into her chair. "He's a finely aged wine and you … you're lucky if you're watered down grape juice."

"Edward Cullen?" I asked looking back at the table of beautiful siblings. Slowly, the head of the bronze haired boy righted itself. He scanned my table almost as if he could hear me saying his name. His eyes momentarily stopped on each of the table before darting to my own.

"Yeah, he's Alice and Emmett's brother," finished Angela. "They're nice to look at but not too friendly."

Edward's eyes had locked on to me. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head. It was always the most beautiful people in a school that had to single me out. And, if there was a group of them, the worst torture came from the most beautiful male in the crowd. Edward Cullen fit the mold exactly.

The lunch bell sounded suddenly and Edward's eyes left mine. Along with his siblings, they rose and silently began filing out of the lunch room. Edward's posture was perfect. His clothing was pristine and the few garments he wore probably cost more than the car Charlie had purchased less than 24 hours ago. His hair moved in the wind he created as he walked.

I was drunk off the sight of him. He was a god amongst mortals. Leaving the cafeteria, I knew this boy, Edward Cullen, might just hurt me worse than everyone ever has.


	3. Chemistry in Biology?

**Disclaimer: **

**Roses are red;**

**Violets are Blue;**

**S. Meyers owns Twilight,**

**So please don't sue.**

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**Biology**, my schedule read.

**Biology**, the sign on the door read.

The teacher smiled as I entered the room. "Who do we have here? Miss Swan?" he asked looking at my schedule and back at me. "This is junior biology. I hope you can catch up since we're already half way through the year."

I had finished Advanced Placement Biology my sophomore year. Since Fork had no other science courses but biology, I was forced to take the class. "I think I'll be fine," I said with a smirk. "I got a 5 on the AP test back in Phoenix."

"Well done, Miss Swan. Newton!" Mr. Banner yelled and the head of Mike from lunch popped up from behind a microscope. "Newton, could you move over and sit with Miss Stanley? I want Isabella to sit next to Mr. Cullen since you both already took the APs."

"Bella," I said as I began to walk toward my seat.

"What?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Please call me Bella."

"Alright, Bella, please take your seat next to Edward."

Alarm bells screamed in my head. Edward? Edward Cullen? _Oh no_, I thought. I would never be able to avoid him if I was sitting next to him for an hour and a half every day!

I slowly made my way to the stool Mike Newton had just vacated. Edward Cullen glared at me over the microscope. I pushed my bag to the ground beneath the table and hoisted myself up on the seat. His features seemed sharp and angular. I was so far different from the beauty he exuded at lunch.

"Cullen. Swan. Make nice back there," Mr. Banner asked of us, noticing the strain on Edward's face.

"Edward," he stated as an introduction.

"Bella," I replied.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." He paused for a moment, adjusting the objective lens on the microscope. He paused at his modifications to the scope. "What's the fragrance you're wearing?"

I sniffed my arm. "Pearberry body wash? That's it," I answered.

"Hmmm …" he said thoughtfully, looking me over. I took the time to meet his eyes before he finished his thought. He seemed softer than moments ago. Somehow, he was less sharp in both his appearance and demeanor. His eyes seemed to lighten by the second. Once black as onyx, they began to take on the color of honeyed tea. "No … not Pearberry. More like … freesia. Fresh freesia in full bloom."

I blushed. Was Edward Cullen saying I smelled good? Apparently.

A soft chuckle murmured from between his lips. "It suits you."

My blush deepened. Edward Cullen liked the way I smelled. Of course, I smelled a rat. I would have to watch myself around this Romeo. I would give him no ammunition to use against me.

"Thank you. And you …" I searched for a complement to give back to him. How do you complement perfection? Then, I remembered his eyes and before I could stop myself … "And you, clearly, don't appreciate the change in lab partners."

His expression was shocked. "How can you know what I'm thinking? Can you read minds?" he asked with a smirk that caused my heart to skip a momentary beat.

"Your eyes," I answered, looking back to his golden orbs. "When Mike left and I came over, your eyes turned … black. Do you resent me for driving off Mike?"

He laughed again, but louder this time. "No, no, Bella. I just … well, my eyes change when I'm not feeling … well. It's a … a condition I have but I have it under control now. Don't worry, I'm fine."

He reached out his palm to rest on my fingers. "Thank you." The moment he grazed my hand, I felt a shock of electricity race up my arm and across my chest. He must have felt it too, because when I looked up from my hand, he wore an expression of incredulity.

"Ummm .." I stammered.

"Yeah," he answered. "Must have been static shock. Sorry."

"Class, you've got half an hour to finish up the slides. Miss Swan, how are you holding up?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Fine." Edward had turned to the microscope and was placing and then removing slides almost faster than I could blink. In under a minute, he had finished with the scope and began writing on the lab handout.

"Your turn. Think you can keep up?" he asked with the same palpating smirk. Could I keep up? I ran this lab for a group of underclassmen back in Phoenix. In two minutes, I viewed and labeled each slide. I finished the work sheet and looked back to Edward.

"Done," I said, dropping my pen on the desk and raising them up to show my empty palms. Edward smirked.

"Hmm. You're good," he admitted checking over my answers. "But, still, you're not as fast as me."

"No one's as fast as you, Edward," Lauren's voice chimed in. I noticed then that she sat directly in front of our lab table with Erik. She must have been waiting for an opportunity to speak to him and took full advantage when she could. "You know, Edward," she began again in a simpering tone, "Bella here is Chief Swan's daughter. So, that means she lives in that tiny cottage on the edge of the La Push rez. Isn't that just the most pathetic thing you've ever heard?"

My insides rolled and turned. I wanted to punch her in the face. Damn the consequences.

"Lauren," his voice melted like chocolate. "Darling … shut the hell up."

"Sure thing, Edward," Lauren replied and turned back to her microscope with a smile, seemingly pleased to do what Edward asked her to do. I was dumbfounded. Edward had stood up for me. I couldn't believe it.

"I'm sorry about her. She can be … difficult." His eyes traced over my face and I heard a little gasp escape his lips. The tears that had been threatening to spill at lunch were flowing freely, now. "Mr. Banner, Bella is not feeling very well. Could I walk her down to the nurse?"

"Sure, Edward," he answered without taking his eyes from a book at his desk.

Edward moved in front of me, hiding my reddening face from the view of the class. He glanced out of the door to look into an empty hallway and the held the door open for me. His hand found mine as he walked me through the empty building and beyond to the fresh air outside. My hand tingled but I ignored it.

"Are you ok?" he asked when I stopped and braced my back against the outside of the building. Tears feel freely from my eyes and stained a trail across my cheeks. My knees gave way and I slumped farther down the wall. If I could just curl up in a ball, maybe Edward would forget about me and go back to class.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," I answered through my hands, covering my eyes. I felt an electric touch tingle at my wrist. Unlike before, this feeling was more the like buzz in the air before a thunderstorm. I moved my fingers so I could see. Mere inches from my wrist, Edward's hand had frozen in place. Our eyes connected for the umpteenth time that day and his hand moved to close over mine. The connection was the same as before and an electrical surge moved across my body.

"Did you feel that?" I asked him.

He seemed to think for a moment. "Feel what?" he asked. I couldn't believe this. I watched him moments before when we touched. He had pulled away at the exact moment I had. He felt it, so why was he lying?

"Don't worry about me. Go back to class. Lauren's probably chomping at the bit to see you."

"Bella, I told Mr. Banner I would make sure you were alright and I plan to do that. Why are you so upset?" Edward's voice was as soft as feathers falling on snow. If our faces had not been inches apart, I wouldn't have heard his words. Why would I tell him anything? This was the boy that I was sure would be the worst bully I had ever met only an hour ago. Why would I let him know how much Lauren's taunting had already broken me down? He had just stuck up for me in front of the bitch, but that wasn't enough. "Bella, why?"

His soft topaz eyes plead with me to answer. I don't know if I could have spoken then even if I had wanted to. I was swimming in Edward. He was so close to me. All I would have to do would be to lean in and kiss his perfectly shaped lips. Lean in and kiss this perfect Adonis in front of me.

And suddenly, my mouth was doing the unthinkable …

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**Preview of next chapter:**

**A black and blue was already forming, angry and large. "Touch him again … and next time, I'll make you bleed."**

**R&R**


	4. Friends

**Disclaimer: S. Meyer and her publishing cronies own all things _Twilight_. I'm just playing with them. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished, though.**

**F.A.Q.: **

**Q: Is Bella really fat/overweight or does she just think she is/have Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD)/just not weight 80 pounds?**

**A: Bella is overweight. If a normal girl of 17 or 18 is 5'4"ish and in average health her BMI (Body Mass Index) should be between 18.5 and 24.5 which translate into 108 lbs to 143 lbs. Bella weighs closer to 230ish in this story. She is overweight but also sees herself differently than she should. She has a touch of BDD and sees herself as much, much heavier. Her self esteem issues are exacerbated by the tormenting she has received over the years and, now, especially, by Lauren.**

**Q: Can I (insert reviewer name) maim/hurt/kill/stab Lauren please?**

**A: he he he … all in due time people … all in due time**

**Enjoy!**

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I leaned back away from Edward and sighed. "Lauren is a bitch."

"Yeah, as long as I've known her," Edward answered.

Edward sat on the concrete next to me. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on top, mimicing my actions move for move. "How long have you known her?" I asked, resting my cocked head on my arms.

"About two years. My folks, Carlisle and Esme, have been the only parents I can remember. They moved us to Forks just before I began high school. We move around a lot. It's hard to make friends when you don't spend much time in a school system," he confessed. "I can't stand the kids here. Pompous, little braggarts, if you ask me."

I laughed out loud. "Try making friends when …" I paused. I could not believe what I was doing. "Try it when you're like me." My face immediately heated red. Had I just let Edward see a vulnerable side? Oh, no.

His expression was puzzled. Then, it dawned on him what I was implying. His face contorted in anger and then, slowly, pain marked his delicate features. It hurt me to see him like this. Someone that beautiful should never have to feel like I do. His hand shot off of his knees and toward me. "Friends?" he offered.

I thought about it. If he was genuine … maybe … "Friends," I agreed shaking his hand. A current shot up my hand. Edward's eyes grew large and I gripped tighter, not allowing him to release my own hand. "That. Do you feel _that_?"

"Yeah," he answered softly, pulling his hand back against his body. He looked at his palm questioningly, as if it might hold the answers to the electrical shock. "Hmm."

The bell rang, then, signaling the end of our tête à tête. Edward stood and offered his hand for help. I took it, hesitantly, and stood. "As my first friend at Forks, I'd like to say 'Thank you'."

"Thank me?" I asked. "I think I should be thanking you. You saved me from humiliation back there in Biology. You didn't need to do that."

"I did. And like I said, thank you. For talking to me and being such a great listener. Do you feel better, now?" he asked. I nodded my appreciation.

"I feel forward asking you … but may I hug you?" he asked, sincerity dancing through his eyes. Edward wanted to hug me? Why? I felt like I was falling for the oldest trick in the book, but I agreed nonetheless.

His arms were cold and hard as steel or stone. The shirt he wore did nothing to accentuate the muscles hidden behind the fabric. I could feel that through his clothes. His strong arms wrapped around me and pulled tight. It was comfortable, standing so close to him, my face nuzzled in his chest. I think I could stand here for the rest of the day if he had wanted to. I felt him inhale deeply and then release me. "Mmm … definitely freesia," he said walking back into the building. "Don't be late for your next class," he reminded with a final glance.

"I won't," I said with a smile and watched him close the door to Building 5 behind him. Edward Cullen had touched me, hugged me. He wanted to be my friend. I had a friend! My smile broke out a hundred times bigger than I could remember ever smiling. Forks might not be so bad after all.

The building door squeaked again and I turned to go back and get my bag in Biology. I felt a hand on my shoulder and then a searing pain above my cheek.

"Bitch, I don't know who you think you are but you need to keep your hands off my boy." Lauren and Jessica stood a few feet away. Lauren's fists were balled tightly, ready for a second strike. I could see my reflection in the window pane of the door. A black and blue was already forming, angry and large. "Touch him again … and next time, I'll make you bleed."

She slapped my face hard and turned back to Jessica. "Let's leave the tub of lard to think about what's she's done." They left the path heading for the main office. I could hear their giggles as they walked away.

Quickly, I returned to the empty Biology classroom and grabbed my backpack. _Great_, I thought. _Not only is my next class on the other side of campus. It's gym. I should just go to the nurse and be excused._

The nurse was more than willing to accept the excuse that I had walked into the door of Building 5. She placed an ice bag on my bruise and admonished me to be more careful next time. I promised her I would try. When the bell rang, I ran to the office to pass my forms back into Mrs. Cope. The wind blew around outside. Inside, I slammed the door and Mrs. Cope spun around to look at me. "Isabella. How was your day?"

"Alright, I guess."

"It'll get better," she finished, handing my sighed schedule back to me. "It'll get better."

"It can't get much worse," I answered opening the office door and heading for the student parking lot. I was almost at my car when I heard my name called. Spinning, I lost my footing.

Arms circled my waist and set me up right. I was embarrassed that someone had to touch me in such a personal way. To be forced to feel the weight I tried to hide under bulky clothing. "Bella, we have to stop meeting like this," Edward's voice crooned.

"Edward!" I said wiggling out of his arms and pulling myself closer to my car. "I'm so sorry."

He paused for a second looking in my eyes and then moving south to find the bruise. "Bella … what happened?" he asked. A single finger gingerly stroked my cheek as the bruise pulsed with renewed pain.

My mind raced back to what Lauren had said. _Keep y__our hands off my boy_. Edward had a girlfriend. "You're girlfriend punched me," I answered. Why was I telling him the truth?

"My girlfriend? Bella. I'm not seeing anyone. I told you, I really don't have any friends here. I don't know who told you that, but they lied." His hand pushed a stray lock of hair out of my eyes. His own eyes became dark and stormy when I winced in pain. "Bella," his voice rasped like a tire on a gravel driveway. "Who did this to you? Please, tell me."

I shook my head "no." Lauren said she would hurt me again if I got near Edward. Her boy. I had to leave. Go home. Anywhere, just away from Edward.

"No, I have to go, Edward," I said pulling my keys from my bag. My hand was on the hand when his closed over mine, again. The same electric shock shook my body.

"Bella, if you need to talk to someone. Here's my number," he passed a torn piece of notebook paper into my hand. "Could I have yours?"

"My number?" I asked dumbfounded.

"Yeah," he laughed. "I want to call you later and make sure you are alright. You seem very shaken today. I know first days can be rough, but you've got a friend in Forks, Bella. Plus, see that girl jumping up and down?" He pointed back towards the rest of the Cullens and Hales waiting for him by a silver Volvo. The car, like the students who rode in it, stuck out of the ordinary coupes and sedans in the lot. The pixie Angela had told me was Alice bounced up and down with so much energy I wondered if she hadn't finished three energy drinks last period.

"Alice?" I asked.

"Yeah … Alice," he said. "Angela told you who we were, didn't she?"

"Mmm hmm," I confirmed.

"Angela is a kind person," Edward smiled. "Well, Alice wants to meet you too. I think she wants to schedule a shopping date for this weekend. May I pass your number to her?"

"Sure," I answered and ripped the paper in half that held Edward's number. "Here. That's the house number."

"No cell?" he asked.

"No cell. Can't afford one just yet," I confessed. "I'm thinking about getting a part time job. When I get one, I might let you have that number too," I joked. Talking with Edward had put me enough at ease to make jokes.

"Don't lose my number now," Edward demanded.

"It's safe," I patted the pocket in my jeans where his number rested. There was no way I would lose his number. I would protect it like my own child.

His fingers grazed my arm again before he said 'goodbye' and head back towards his waiting siblings. I got in my car and sat in the parking lot for a few moments before I had the strength to start the engine and drive home. Alice and Edward Cullen wanted to be my friends. Angela Weber had been kind to me. I was not used to this kind of attention. Good attention.

Charlie came home early and was surprised to find me cooking dinner. "Bella, this chicken alfredo is fabulous," he said in between bites of pasta. "When did you learn how to cook?"

"Ch … Dad," I stopped before I finished his name. "I didn't get like _this_ without learning a thing or two about what tastes good," I said pointing to myself.

Charlie laid his fork down next to his plate and reached across the table for my free hand. "Bella, I don't know what you did with Renee, but in this house, we don't _do_ self-deprecating humor. Got it? You are my baby. You are beautiful in my eyes. Never forget that."

"Dad," I said exasperated.

"Don't worry about the dishes. You get upstairs and finish unpacking and setting up your room. Got it, little missy?" I had to smile. Charlie always knew how to make me feel better. Whether it was a scrapped knee or the end of the world, Charlie would always be there for me with a hug and a loving word or two.

"Alright, Dad. I'm going to shower. And go to bed early." Before he could protest, I finished, "don't worry. My home work is finished."

Charlie smiled and kissed my forehead before grabbing my plate and clearing the silverware.

After showering and pulling on a set of new pajamas Renee had bought me before leaving Phoenix, I shoved myself deep under my comforter completely ready for what dreams that may come.

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**Ohhh … I love foreshadowing. If anyone can guess the line and why it is significant, I'll update tomorrow morning instead of on Monday. Hint: the line is in the last ten paragraphs. **


	5. Just Another Day in Forks

**Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns ****Twilight**** and all characters found within. I'm merely playing in her shadow.**

**AN: No one guessed right. I would have updated yesterday, but my brother (who is a Private First Class in the Massachusetts National Guard) was asked to be in a parade for Veteran's Day and how do you say no to your baby brother when he asks you to see him in a parade?**

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Edwards Point of View

My mind throbbed dully like a padded pendulum striking a wall. Debussy began, again, for the fifth time that evening. I could not take the repetition much longer. Hoping off my leather sofa, I turned off the stereo system. The house was quiet, something that did not happen often when seven beings lived together. Then, I heard Esme's low giggle and Carlisle's soft moan in response.

I refocused my attention and tried to pull my thoughts away from my parents' private time. Losing focus of things around me was the closest I had come to sleep in eight or nine decades. _Maybe, if I run fast enough, I can jam a banana in his mouth before he …_

"Emmett, I can hear you," I growled softly.

"Stupid, telepathic vampire!" I heard his grumbling steps downstairs. This was soon followed by a pulpy splat when a mashed banana and peel flew with a loud bang against the south wall of my room. The light of the dawning sun struggled for freedom from the clouds. It was a losing battle as always. The sun hardly shone in this forsaken town which is precisely why seven vampires chose it as home.

We were not even welcomed here. The humans accepted us graciously, but then there were the dogs. The dogs, or as the rest of the humans called them, The Quillettes, lived on the La Push reservation. The sole purpose of the La Push werewolf pack was to keep our family, The Cullens, in check. The first time Carlisle settled in Forks, he met with the tribal elders and a treaty was reached. We would be allowed to live in Forks unopposed by the dogs as long as we never bit a human being.

We never have and have lived in a happy, little coexistence since then. Well, as peaceful as two clans of mythical monsters can live in such close proximity.

_Edward,_ _you're day dreaming again_, Alice's voice rang in my ears. _Up and at 'em. Or we'll leave without you!_ She threatened and I heard her bounce down the stairs toward the front door.

"Would you, please?" I implored. I knew she heard me, wherever she was now.

"Come on, Eddie" Emmett's voice bellowed. Another mashed banana slammed into my south wall. "Let's get going!" A third smashed fruit bashed into the ceiling to floor window. I was up and running.

"Fine guys. Get in" I said gesturing to my car.

_Emmett! WHAT IS STUCK TO MY HOUSE!_ Esme's thoughts slammed into my head and I chuckled.

"Esme's going to have you power wash the entire house and replant some shrubs for messing up her windows," I told Emmett.

His scowl kept the car in silence as we drove to school. This was at least my tenth time in high school. I lost track after six graduations.

Speeding outside of Forks was a given. As we approached the town limits, I heard a bored day shift cop humming the theme song to _I Dream of Jeannie_ over and over again in his head. I slowed down to the speed limit and my silver Volvo crawled into the parking lot at FHS.

I scanned the parking spots. A fire-engine red Chevy truck was parked in the spot I usually took each morning. _Interesting_, I thought with a chuckle. _Fresh blood._ Vampire humor.

We parked and everyone piled out. Alice sat alone in the back seat, stone still. "Jasper," I said, gesturing to the car with a nod.

"Yup," he answered and slipped back in. Moments later, Alice and Jasper bounced out and joined us, walking to our homerooms.

"How's the day look, Alice?" Rosalie asked, nonchalantly.

"It goes," she answered, slipping her hand into Jasper's as they walked. "You want to go shopping this weekend? I feel a trip to Port Angeles coming on."

"Sure," Rosalie answered, kissing Emmett on the lips before following Jasper to homeroom. Emmett popped into the next door as Alice and I moved to the next building where the junior hallway was.

Classes bored me. Mostly, I spent the time daydreaming, looking out the woods at the forest, or scanning the thoughts of the boys and girls around me. The gossip in the junior hallway was the new girl, Chief Swan's daughter. Isabella from Phoenix.

The worst time of the day was lunch. When the entire school would gather en masse and push the vilest smelling slop passed their lips. Girls would giggle loudly trying to get our attention, while boys walked passed flashing nonexistent muscles at Rosalie and Alice. It was enough to make a vampire sick.

This lunch was no different. Placing myself in a chair, my siblings gathered with me at our usual table. Being physically attractive did have its perks. The first week in school, administrators tried to force us to sit in assigned seats. For a week, I sat with Lauren, Jessica, Tyler, Angela, Ben, Mike and Erik. I could not take their vapid chatter. One day, I just decided to sit by myself at an empty table. Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett joined soon after. When Alice saw us sitting there, she left her table, as well. Whenever a teacher would question the seating change, we would flash a smile and lean in, flirtatiously. No one questioned us a second time.

"I see you've discovered those that are the Cullens and Hales." I heard a friendly voice explaining. A bug walked across the stucco ceiling of the cafeteria. I found this fly a hundred times more interesting than listening to what the general student population thought about us. Minutes passed. The bug had not moved. Perhaps, he was stuck. Stuck on stucco. Ironic.

"Edward Cullen?" a voice called to me questioningly. My head popped up at the sound of my name. I did not recognize the voice. Who had called me? The voice sounded hauntingly sad and fragile. I scanned the faces of the table I once sat at looking for someone who was out of place. Finally, hidden behind flowing locks of brown hair where two chocolate brown eyes I have never seen before.

Behind her eyes, I saw nothing because of their sheer depth. I heard nothing. No emotion, no endless chatter. Simply, silence. It was comforting in one respect. But, on the other hand … I must just not be paying attention. Never had I encountered a human whose thoughts were completely cut off to me. Some were good at disguising their thoughts but never had one been … silent. I was intrigued. The bell rang to signal the end of lunch and my family left the cafeteria. I snuck one more glance at the new girl before heading for Biology in Building 5.

Her skin was pale but creamy like warmed milk. My vampire eyes caught the rich under tone of red in her hair. A ribbon on gold speckled through her brown eyes. She stood to leave as we passed her table and the breeze my family made, as we walked, enveloped her, pushing her perfume into my nostrils.

My head reeled and I swam in the fresh bouquet of spring flowers. Alice caught my eye as we left the cafeteria for Building 5. I saw that a smile touched her lips.

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**Preview of Next Chapter**

**Stronger than before, her scent spun around me like tendrils of vines. I was wrapped in a cocoon of freesia blossoms. I could not move. I did not think I wanted to, even if I could.**


	6. Just Friends

**Disclaimer: Dear Ms. Meyer, I am just playing with Edward, Bella, et al. I will put them back. Unless, that is, you so desire me to keep playing with them … and then I have no problem. Call me wink. My people will call your people? Ok:)**

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"So, we're all going to meet at my parent's store. Then, we'll car pool down to First Beach. They'll be a bonfire and hotdogs and Coke and marshmallows. Lauren said she got a new bikini, so that should be …" Mike's voice was an incessant drone in the background of my mind. He was yammering about an upcoming trip to the beach that he was organizing. "So, you wanna come?" he asked from behind the microscope.

"Newton!" Mr. Banner yelled from the front of the room and I watched as Mike's head spun up from the microscope. "Newton, could you move over and sit with Miss Stanley? I want Isabella to sit next to Mr. Cullen since you both already took the APs."

"Bella," the voice spoke up. Her voice. Isabella. I looked up to the teacher's desk trying to be blasé about it.

"What?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Please call me Bella," she asked him. Bella was what she wanted to be called. Her voice was so different than what I had expected. Most teenagers spoke in the same voice they thought in. Life was a very self centered world for a teen. Children often mimicked a parent's voice and some adults mimicked children.

Bella spoke with a resonance in tone that made me think she was speaking to herself instead of to another person. I hear that voice sometimes when people are talking to themselves, trying to work out a problem out loud. Bella spoke if she was maneuvering players in a game of strategy with every word. It was interesting, to say the least.

"Alright, Bella, please take your seat next to Edward."

Me? I had not been paying attention to Mr. Banner's words until that moment. He was asking Bella to sit next to me. Mike, I could deal with. He was boring and monotonous, but I had grown accustomed to his antics.

She walked down the aisle to her new seat slowly. She locked eyes with me and before sitting down. Turning to place herself on the stool Mike had left, she spun and her hair flew out like a loose shirt. The floral scent I smelled before assaulted my nose.

I closed my eyes and lost myself in the scent. My brain swam in a sea of violet and white waves crashing around me. I lost myself for a moment in the scent before pulling myself violently back to reality. Bella was sitting motionless in the stool.

_My eyes must be black_, I thought. I thought of other things and gently moved my chair away from her. _I wonder if she noticed? I must be staring_, I thought as she turned from my gaze. How could this girl … this human … I did not even know unnerve me so? I would not let her. She was just a girl.

"Cullen. Swan. Make nice back there," Mr. Banner asked of us. I tried to pull the look of apprehension and shock off of my face.

"Edward," I said as an introduction. The least I could do was be nice to her.

"Bella," she replied. Her voice seemed to hitch in her throat for a moment. As a vampire I was used to any range of reactions from astonishment to revulsion when a human met me for the first time. In Bella's voice, I heard fear. But not the fear I expected. Over the years, I expected fear from mortals. In Bella's voice, I heard fear tinted with a tone of finality and acceptance. It was almost as if she knew something was going to happen and there was nothing in her power could change it.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." I said, adjusting the objective lens on the microscope. I had to do something to stop my mouth from moving. That scent swirled around me each time she moved. I was stronger than the monster inside me. I had to be. I wanted to take this girl outside and drain her clean. Pull every drop of fresh blood from her body and leave a pale corpse in her wake. I could not hold my question in any longer and I stopped playing with the microscope. "What's the fragrance you're wearing?"

I almost chuckled when I watched her sniff her arm. "Pearberry body wash? That's it," she answered.

"Hmmm …" That definitely was not what I smelt. It was floral, not fruity. It had a tang deep underneath. I remembered the scent from decades ago when Carlisle, Esme and I had toured Europe during the Great Depression. We had traveled to Powerscourt, an enormous garden complex near Dublin, Ireland. It had been my first time in public since I returned to live with my parents. Esme had picked a flower when we entered the manor where the gardens were built. She placed it in a button hole of my shirt. The scent had lingered in my brain for sixty years. I smelt it again on this girl. This … Bella. Her eyes caught mine as I tried to recall the name of the flower. "No … not Pearberry. More like … freesia. Fresh freesia in full bloom."

Her pale cheeks blushed. Such a wonderful color on humans was a natural blush. And of course, not many of them knew it.

I could not help but chuckle softly. Her reaction was unexpected. "It suits you."

Her blush deepened.

"Thank you. And you …" she paused for a moment. "And you, clearly, don't appreciate the change in lab partners."

I did not appreciate the change in lab partners? Had she thought Mike and I were friends? I much rathered being partners with Bella, for the few minutes we had spent together so far, than the half year with Mike Newton. I was shocked she would assume Mike was the reason for my demeanor. Then again, how could she know it was her? Not her presence but her. Just her. A little puzzle that had fallen right into my lap.

"How can you know what I'm thinking? Can you read minds?" I said, smirking. _I'm the resident mind reader, thank you._

"Your eyes," she answered. Her eyes locked with mine again. I could not help but feel drawn in by the soft chocolate and gold of her eyes. "When Mike left and I came over, your eyes turned … black. Do you resent me for driving off Mike?"

I laughed. "No, no, Bella. I just … well, my eyes change when I'm not feeling … well. It's a … a condition I have but I have it under control now." _A condition that causes me to drink the blood of unsuspecting victims. A condition that has been urging me to slash the throats of every child in this room so I could have some time to quietly savor the blood running through your veins._

"Do not worry, I'm fine," I finished.

I could tell by her deep brown eyes that she was genuinely concerned that I was not well. I reached out to touch her hand. "Thank you." The moment my fingers grazed hand, I felt a shock of electricity race through my arm. She felt it too; I could tell. She looked at me for an answer and all I could do was stare back at her, completely confused.

"Ummm .." she stammered.

"Yeah," I answered. My mind raced for an explanation. "Must have been static shock. Sorry."

"Class, you've got half an hour to finish up the slides. Miss Swan, how are you holding up?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Fine," I heard her answer. I turned to the microscope and began to rapidly shuffle through the slides. I had done this lab at least once every five years. I had two medical degrees and was reduced to flipping slides. I finished in under a minute.

"Your turn. Think you can keep up?" I asked with a smirk. Bella took this as a challenge and I watched as she grinned, turning to the scope. Mr. Banner had said something about her getting an AP in Biology, but I could have been wrong. I watched her fingers nimbly move the course and fine adjustments to the microscope and then move to the labeling work sheet. She had very dexterous hands. In two minutes, she had viewed and labeled each slide. I watched her complete her worksheet.

"Done," she said, dropping her pen on the desk and raising her hands up to show her empty palms. I could not help but smirked. She was funny and not in the ways I expected.

"Hmm. You're good," I admitted looking over Bella's answers. "But, still, you're not as fast as me." _If she only knew!_

"No one's as fast as you, Edward," Lauren's voice chimed in. Lauren leaned over our lab table exposing as much cleavage as her low cut top would allow. I shuttered almost imperceptibly. Lauren had been trying to get my attention since our family relocated in Forks. That was a dessert I had no interest in tasting. She batted her overly mascaraed eye lashes at me. "You know, Edward," she began again in a simpering tone, "Bella here is Chief Swan's daughter. So, that means she lives in that tiny cottage on the edge of the La Push rez. Isn't that just the most pathetic thing you've ever heard?"

If I had blood, this is where it would have boiled. Lauren was teasing Bella to get in my good graces. Why teenagers have to demean each other in this day and age is beyond my comprehension. Bella dropped her face, hiding her eyes from Lauren.

"Lauren," I said, purposely using my voice to lure her closer to me. She leaned farther across the desk. I could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. "Darling … shut the hell up."

"Sure thing, Edward," Lauren replied and turned back to her microscope with a smile, seemingly pleased to do what I asked her to do.

I turned back to Bella. "I'm sorry about her. She can be … difficult." She looked like someone had punched her. I was captured by her eyes. Her eyes that were spilling tears over her reddened cheeks. I had to get her out of here. I had to save her the embarrassment.

"Mr. Banner, Bella is not feeling very well. Could I walk her down to the nurse?"

"Sure, Edward," he answered without taking his eyes from a book at his desk.

I moved in front of Bella, instinctively hiding her from the rest of the class. She whimpered, but followed behind me. I quickly checked the hall for anyone and then ushered her out. Without thinking about it, I reached for her hand. I needed to feel her skin, her warmth and comfort her if I could. I felt the surge and tingle of our mutual electricity, but thought her relief was more important at this moment.

"Are you ok?" I asked her. I watched as she held herself up on the wall outside of Building 5. She sobbed uncontrollably. I could not remember any female I had ever seen cry like this. Something Jessica had said had made Bella so upset that she cried without abandon in front of someone she had only met minutes before. Slowly, Bella lowered herself to the ground, still hugging the wall.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," she answered through her hands. I tried to stop myself but I needed to touch her again. I needed to make sure she was alright. But, I paused inches from her hand. An electric buzz hummed between my fingers and Bella's wrist. She moved her fingers from in front of her vision and our eyes connected for the thousandth time today. Without thinking, I touched her. The connection was the same as before and an electrical surge moved across my body.

"Did you feel that?" she asked. What could I say? I had no idea what had been happening. I had to talk to Carlisle about it.

"Feel what?" I asked. I couldn't believe this. Her face crumpled.

"Don't worry about me. Go back to class. Lauren's probably chomping at the bit to see you," she almost spat out.

"Bella, I told Mr. Banner I would make sure you were alright and I plan to do that. Why are you so upset?" I said softly. Our faces were so close together, I could not help but wonder what she was thinking. I felt the overwhelming urge to pull her closer. I fought the urge to breathe in her scent. Something was so intoxicating about this girl. "Bella, why?" I plead with her.

She exhaled suddenly and my head spun.

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**Ok guys … Read and Revi… wait … you want more? OK … but you have to promise to R&R later? Or I might just forget to write tomorrow … oh who am I kidding …**

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She leaned away from me. "Lauren is a bitch."

"Yeah, as long as I've known her," I answered chuckling inside. Bella was a good judge of character. Angela's thoughts earlier in Biology were of concern for the new girl and whether she would fit in. I had begun to wonder the same. With an enemy like Lauren that might be difficult.

I sat down on the concrete next to her. Mimicking her movements, I thought to put her at ease. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my arms on top. She turned her head towards me and rested her head on her hands. Her tear stained cheeks made me put a fire in my stomach that I could never remember feeling. I wanted to hurt Jessica for upsetting Bella. "How long have you known her?" she asked.

"About two years. My folks, Carlisle and Esme, have been the only parents I can remember. They moved us to Forks just before I began high school. We move around a lot. It's hard to make friends when you don't spend much time in a school system," I confessed. From no where, words I had intended to keep private were spilling out of my mouth. I did not even know Bella, yet I felt like I could trust her with some part of me. "I can't stand the kids here. Pompous, little braggarts, if you ask me."

She laughed. Like a bell, her laughter peeled in my head. "Try making friends when …" she paused. Confusion and pain touched her eyes. She took a deep breath and began again. "Try it when you're like me." I watched her face redden.

What did she mean? She was normal. She could make friends with anyone she wished. She did not have to hide who she was away from the prying eyes of humanity. And then, it clicked. Bella was not just a normal girl. She felt that she was an outcast. Granted, as I looked at her again, I noticed she did not have the physique that many of the girls her age did. I had forgotten how important to females that they be exceptionally physically attractive. And then, it clicked again. She was not just an outcast. This girl with innocent eyes had dealt with girls like Lauren her entire life.

How could anyone treat another human like this? I wanted to do something, anything, to stop the Laurens of the world. I wanted to throw … but that would never heal Bella's wounds. Deep inside I felt a pang of remorse. Bella needed someone to help her. She was not just a faceless person out there that "might" need help. She needed someone, dare I say it, like I needed someone. My hand shot off my knees without a thought. "Friends?" I offered.

She looked at me for a moment before hesitantly answering, "Friends." She reached forward and grabbed my hand in hers. A current shot between us. Her grip increased. I dared not pull back. I could not risk her feeling my strength. "That. Do you feel that?"

"Yeah," I answered softly, pulling my hand back. I looked at my palm wondering if something might be wrong with me. I would have to ask Carlisle the minute he returned home this evening. "Hmm."

When the bell rang, I reached to help her from the ground. "As my first friend at Forks, I'd like to say 'Thank you'."

"Thank me?" she asked. "I think I should be thanking you. You saved me from humiliation back there in Biology. You didn't need to do that."

"I did. And like I said, thank you. For talking to me and being such a great listener. Do you feel better, now?" I asked. She was silent but nodded that she was alright.

Without thinking I asked, "I feel forward asking you … but may I hug you?" She nodded.

Her warm arms surrounded my waist. I wondered if she could feel the frigid touch of my skin. I inhaled and her smell, warm and floral touched my brain. I had to release her before I did something stupid. "Mmm … definitely freesia," I said walking back to the building. "Don't be late for your next class."

"I won't," she said with a smile.

I watched back to Biology, grabbed my bag and headed out the door on the opposite side of Building 5 for my next class. It was a senior level course and I was pretty sure Bella would not be there. I sat through class thinking about this new girl who was teasing me with her blood. The monster in me wanted her. The boy in me wanted a friend. A battle over Bella had begun in my soul.

Alice met me after last period and pulled me to her locker. "So, did you meet her?" she asked practically bouncing in place.

"Alice! You knew?" I asked under my breath. "You could have warned me!"

"Would it have made a difference?" she wondered aloud.

"No," I answered throwing a book back into my bag. "Let's go. I want to see if I can catch her before she leaves."

"Ok, get her number though," Alice asked of me. "I want to invite her shopping this weekend."

"Ahh, yes. The 'impromptu shopping trip' with Rosalie?" Her smirk was all the answer I needed.

In the parking lot, I caught sight of Bella walking fast to the old Chevy truck. _Figures_, I thought. "Bella!" I called out as she reached her car. Spinning, her feet came out from under her and she began to fall.

I grabbed for her and placed her upright. I could see the embarrassment touch her face. Her eyes crinkled and she looked away from me as if we had just shared another secret about her. "Bella, we have to stop meeting like this," I tried to say in a way that would reassure without teasing.

"Edward!" she said wiggling out of my arms. "I'm so sorry."

I met her eyes for a moment caught by the deep pools that swirled underneath. I blinked myself back into the present and noticed an angry black and blue forming under one of her eyes. "Bella … what happened?" I could not help myself when I found that I was reaching to touch her face.

"You're girlfriend punched me," she answered. What was she talking about?

"My girlfriend? Bella. I'm not seeing anyone. I told you, I really don't have any friends here. I don't know who told you that, but they lied." I could not restrain myself around Bella and I found my hand pushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. She winced under my touch. My mind raced. My stroke had hurt her cheek. What a fool I was! How could I hurt her after all she had been through today?

"Bella," my voice grew angry. I growled deep inside where humans would not hear. "Who did this to you? Please, tell me."

She shook her head. I could see the look in her eyes that animals get when they know they are being hunted. "No, I have to go, Edward," she said pulling her keys from her bag. I touched her tentatively as she placed her hand on the car handle. I needed to talk to her. I needed to touch her. Why, though?

"Bella, if you need to talk to someone. Here's my number," I passed a torn piece of notebook paper that Alice had written my cell phone number on. "Could I have yours?"

"My number?" she asked confused. Had she never had someone ask her for her number?

"Yeah," I laughed. "I want to call you later and make sure you are alright. You seem very shaken today. I know first days can be rough, but you've got a friend in Forks, Bella. Plus, see that girl jumping up and down?" I pointed to Alice waiting by my car.

"Alice?" she asked.

"Yeah … Alice," I said. Angela must have been the one making the introductions at lunch. "Angela told you who we were, didn't she?"

"Mmm hmm," she confirmed.

"Angela is a kind person," I said with a smile. I hoped Bella would make more friends in Forks and Angela would be a good friend to her. "Well, Alice wants to meet you, too. I think she wants to schedule a shopping date for this weekend. May I pass your number to her?"

"Sure," she answered and ripped the paper in half that I had given her. "Here. That's the house number."

"No cell?" I asked.

"No cell. Can't afford one just yet," she confessed. "I'm thinking about getting a part time job. When I get one, I might let you have that number too," she joked. She must have been feeling comfortable enough with me to do so. Maybe having a friend would be good for me too.

"Don't lose my number now," I said with a chuckle.

"It's safe," she patted the pocket in my jeans where my number probably rested now. I had to touch her once more before leaving. Her skin was warm. I would keep that memory close as I drove home today.

Alice's thoughts slammed into my head as I turned to my siblings, who were now waiting in the car._ "Wanna go hunting tonight? It might do you good!"_

"For a while, and then I have some things to see to. Will you call Bella? Make sure she's alright? I told her about the shopping trip. I think she might want to go."

I dropped the others off at home and headed for the hospital. I could not wait for Carlisle to come home. Why had both Bella and I been shocked? Carlisle was sure to know.

He showed me into his office before he began to answer my questions. "Edward, I don't know if I have heard of this before."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Edward, how do I ask this?" he paused in thought. "Do you know what it feels like when a vampire is intimate with his …"

I stopped him in mid-sentence. "Carlisle, you know I do not. I stay out of everyone's private affairs."

"I assumed you had caught some things over the years," he said, more of a question than a declaration.

"Yes," I admitted, almost embarrassed. I had after all. "I had thought that might be what I felt between Bella and I but how could that be? She is a human. And I've known her for," I looked at the clock on Carlisle's wall, "six hours."

"I don't know, Edward," he confessed. "We'll just have to wait and see." _Maybe you shouldn't be …_

Again I made a face to cut him off. "Carlisle. She is my friend. My first friend since I was human that was not another vampire. She is just that, a friend. I'll keep in mind what you have told me but …" my voice trailed off. Carlisle's head nodded. He knew what I meant and I did not have to finish my thought. "Thank you," I said leaving his office.

I hoped in my car and sped off for the deeper reaches of the forest, content to think of the friend I would be able to greet tomorrow.

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**You know the drill. Please don't make me beg.**


	7. A Losing Battle

**Disclaimer: S. Meyers owns the rights to and retains all royalties for the Twilight series. I'm just standing in her shadow.**

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Bella's Point of View

The morning was well underway when the house phone began ringing. I tried my best to ignore it, hoping to get a few more fleeting moments of sleep before my alarm declared an end to the night. Early morning and middle of the night phone calls were a common occurrence in Charlie's house. Someone was always trying to reach the Chief of Police.

The phone stopped ringing so I turned over. Immediately, it began again. I look over at the clock. _Who is calling at …OH CRAP!_

"CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!" I shouted trying to pull myself out of my bedding. "Stupid alarm clock," I yelled, throwing the clock against the wall. "You were supposed to wake me at 6:15. It's 8!!"

I ran into the hallway, still disoriented from the sleep clouding my brain and my pajamas in all states of disarray. Grabbing the phone, I tripped on the loose throw rug running the length of the hall. The first thing the caller must have heard was a loud bang (when I hit the floor) and an "hmph" (the wind being knocked out of me).

"Bella," a quiet voice asked.

"Yeah," I answered gruffly. "Who is this?"

"Hi, Bella," the voice melted like snow on a kitchen window pane. I knew immediately who it was. "This is Edward."

"Hi," I weakly croaked out.

"Good morning. I was just calling to see why you were not in school this morning. I looked for you in the parking lot but did not see your truck. You missed a quite a show, this morning. Tyler Crowley's van side swiped a bunch of cars in the lot."

"Is he alright?" I asked walking into the bathroom and pulling out my toiletries. I remembered Tyler when we had been introduced at lunch yesterday.

"He should be fine. But, I think he might have totaled his mom's van," he paused momentarily in his retelling. "Do you think you are going to make it in today?"

"Yeah, I should be there after I shower. Third period, maybe?"

"Alright. Drive safe," he asked of me before hanging. As I got ready for school, I thought about the phone call. Edward had made sure I was awake and wanted to know if I'd be in school. True concern was not an emotion I was used to from anyone other than Renee, Phil and Charlie. This must be how friends took care of each other. I had to admit. I liked it.

Alice had called me last night, just before I fell asleep. She invited me to go shopping with her and Rosalie. I was struck mute. Why did these gorgeous girls want to be my friend? Like Lauren had said in lunch, they were fillet minion. I was lucky to be Kennel Rations. When I agreed to go, she happily chattered on about picking me up.

Edward had not checked on my like he had said he would, but I assumed Alice would be giving him a report. She, too, asked about my bruise. Still afraid of Lauren and her henchwoman, Jessica, I refused to answer Alice.

Back in my room, I undressed before my closet and shivered. A cold breeze had slipped in through my window. The window I had closed last night. The window that was open now, just a thin sliver but still, open. I know that window had been closed last night. Working for almost half an hour, I finally pried the window free and Charlie helped me to oil the joints and latched. Before I went to bed, I had closed it.

My alarm clock worried me. I would have to buy a new one in Port Angeles this weekend. I couldn't make a name for myself as the ever tardy Bella Swan.

Heading to the parking lot an hour and a half late, I found it almost full and bustling with activity. The spot I had parked in yesterday was cordoned off with yellow and blue police tape. Official looking men took notes on clipboards, surveying the van which was still wrapped around other students cars.

"BELLA!" I heard Charlie scream. "Over here!"

Charlie stood by Tyler's ruined van, frantically waving to get my attention. "Hey kiddo, where ya been? I was looking for you at the hospital. Lauren Mallory said that you parked in that spot yesterday but we couldn't find your truck. I thought maybe you had gone over to the hospital in all the hubbub."

"Nope," I answered looking at the wreckage in the lot. "I, actually, overslept. Edward Cullen called about half an hour ago and woke me. Why didn't you try calling the house?"

He shuffled his feet nervously and looked around sheepishly. "When you become a parent, you'll understand. We tend to … over react when it's possible that something has happened to our kid. Sometimes, we miss the obvious."

He kissed me on the forehead before pushing me towards the office. "Now, go check in, sleepyhead."

I pulled my hoodie tighter around me against the chilly wind now blowing. As an aside, I heard Charlie mutter, "Edward Cullen, eh?"

Classes passed as they had the day before. Because of the excitement of the morning, I was no longer the object of as much gossip. I still heard an occasional snicker or comment made at my expense, but it seemed much easier to ignore today. I caught a wave from Alice while passing between buildings. I was still hesitant to reciprocate the greeting in case she had been meaning the gesture for someone behind me. I did smile though.

Lunch, the period loomed ahead of me like an axe over the head of the damned. I could see Lauren poised on her thrown, resplendent as all eyes at the table danced over her. I grabbed a fruit juice and thought about hiding in the library or a bathroom … or even my locker. Anything, but the cafeteria. I hoped I could slip into my chair without Lauren noticing me. Wrong.

"Hey, Bella," her voice chimed. "What happened to your face?" Her smirk taunted me to answer truthfully.

"Nothing, I just fell," I answered. All eyes were on me.

"Oh, I didn't mean the bruise," she said going in for the kill. "I wanted to know how your face got that to be that ugly. I mean where you born that hideous?"

I left my seat, headed for the trash can to toss my juice, when I heard Lauren, Jessica, Mike and Erik begin to cackle. Another joke at my expense. I was used to this by now. I had lulled myself into a false sense of security in this new school. I was going to make myself scarce and fast.

My juice sailed into the bin as I frantically thought of places I could go to hide from my classmates. A sharp movement, at the corner of my vision, made me turn back to the cafeteria.

Alice had jumped up from the table she and the rest of her siblings were occupying. She was quickly weaving her way through the mass of students lunching. As she passed each table, all heads spun to watch her. She moved with the agility and grace of a ballerina. Edward stood from their table as Alice reached Lauren's side.

Alice spoke softly and deliberately to Lauren. Jessica leaned closer to hear Alice's words but Alice simply put a hand to stay her. Lauren's face paled when Alice gestured to the Cullen and Hale table. Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper were all staring back at Lauren with dark and menacing expressions. Lauren swallowed and nodded her head.

"Bella, will you sit with us?" a voice at my side asked. I had forgotten about Edward until he spoke.

"Umm. Sure. I guess. You're siblings won't mind?" Why? Why was I sitting with them? I just wanted to blend in and disappear. People looked at the Cullens because they were beautiful. People looked at me because I was repulsive. How many people would stare if not only was I standing with normal people but hanging out with beautiful people? My mind raced. What was I doing?

"Alice has told Lauren you're sitting with us already," he answered. "You'll be ok."

Sitting at the Cullen table, I felt strangely like I was being examined. And not only by the rest of the student population, but by the Cullens themselves. "She's petrified," the boy I knew to be Jasper stated as if it were the most obvious assumption.

"I'm not …" I started to say. Who was I kidding here? I didn't belong at their table. I didn't belong in their breathing space. I got up to leave and found Edward's hand on my own. The same electricity that I felt yesterday shot up my arm but I noticed the ice cold feeling of Edward's flesh. "You're freezing," I stated.

"Yeah," he answered pulling back. "All part of my … condition." I looked him over. Searching for any give away or clue as to this _condition_ of his.

He touched my shoulder and motioned for me to follow him to an empty table, away from his siblings. They all watched in shocked disbelief as we walked away from them. "Sorry. Too much, too soon," he said. I knew he meant his family. "Let's start again. Hi, I'm Edward Cullen."

"Isabella Swan," I stated with a chuckle. People only did this in the movies. "You can call me Bella."

"So, Bella. As my newest and only friend, in Forks, can you tell me about yourself?" he asked resting his arms on the table and then propping his head up on his arms. The sleeves of his button down shirt had pulled up slightly and I watched as his corded muscles flexed. Beside his brothers, he looked like a boy but his muscles reminded me of the man hiding beneath his cool topaz eyes.

I sighed. Something about Edward was so disarming. I was going to tell him my life story, every detail, every humiliating moment, if only he asked for it.

"Well, I'm seventeen. I just moved here from Phoenix, Arizona to live with my dad. Like Lauren said," I spat her name out like rotten food, "Charlie is the Chief of Police. I live out near the edge of La Push."

I stopped. That was it. There wasn't much to me that he didn't already know.

"Bella," he said with a smile. "I knew that already. Tell me about yourself. What you like to watch on TV? What kind of music do you listen to? Who is your favorite author? I want to know the mundane stuff." I paused to think. He wanted to know about the Bella that I hid from everyone. The Bella that only my parents had ever known.

"Fine, I've got an idea," I said feeling bold. "You meet me tonight and we'll talk. But," I held my finger up giving him a condition to his request, "for every question you ask, I get to ask one of my own."

He thought about this for minute, looking to Alice and his siblings. Almost like he was having an internal conversation, he nodded his head and turned back to me, "Alright. I'll call you tonight." He reached under the table and pulled up my bag as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. "Ms. Swan, may I walk you to Biology?"

"But of course, Mr. Cullen," I answered being as overdramatic as I could. He winked and I felt my heart flutter.


	8. Rust

**Disclaimer: S. Meyers owns the rights to and retains all royalties for the Twilight series. I'm just standing in her shadow.**

**AN: I mean no disrespect to any Sox fans. I am a proud card carrying member of Red Sox Nation. I _AM_ a rabid fan. **

* * *

Edward walked me to Biology holding my bag the entire way. It was nice to know that someone, or rather two someones, had my back. Alice had said something to Lauren and Edward had come to comfort me. If this is what it was like to have friends, I liked it. 

Mr. Banner bounced into class almost as happy as Alice perpetually seemed to be. "It's video time," he announced. The spirits of the class seemed to lift momentarily before plunging again. Time in the darkness usually meant more trouble for me. Someone would get bored and put gum in my hair or plaster a "fat cow" sign to my back. I'd never see who did it but it always happened. As Edward and I sat at the back of the class, I knew it would mean a frontal assault if it came to it. "At the end of class, we're going to do a little surprise experiment. So, stay awake and pay attention," he finished, flicking off the lights.

Edward sat motionless beside me as the overhead projector flickered to life and filled the white screen with blue light. If he was as smart as he seemed, I expected him to doze off after a few minutes, leaving me to watch the video. But he didn't. He sat stoically leaning away from me. I wondered if I smelled bad. Yesterday, he had liked the way I smelled but that didn't mean something was wrong with me today. So, I sniffed my hair wondering if the shampoo I used had gone bad.

I heard Edward's chuckle. Turning to look at him, he gestured towards the front of the room with his head, a clear indication that I should be watching the video. It was then that I felt him move his chair slightly farther away from me. I frowned inside. Granted this was Edward I was thinking about, I hardly knew him. But he was a boy after all, I was hurt that he was repulsed enough by me to move away from me.

Bored of the video on blood donation and hospital blood banks, I looked for something to entertain me. I was caught by a motion from Edward. His fingers danced across the black topped lab table. It was almost as if he was playing a piece of music on an imaginary piano in front of him. His face, pained moments before when he moved away from me, was soft and full of pure bliss. His lips were no longer pulled tightly together but sat full and parted slightly. His eyes were closed but not sleeping. Almost as if he were imaging something that became more real in his head.

Finally, his amber eyes opened and he smiled, almost nodding to himself. He silently grabbed for his bag under the table and whipped out a piece of notebook paper. I watched with fascination as he drew perfectly parallel lines across the parchment before. Two sets of these five parallel lines were drawn before he drew a G-clef and a Bass Clef on the second. It hit me, then, he was writing music. When his eyes caught mine staring at him, he smiled a crooked smile. The same crooked smile he had given me the other day. My heart leapt and beat wildly as I turned back to the screen.

I heard him furiously writing on the paper. _He must be a musician_, I thought. Of course, he was, stupid Bella. Why else would he be writing music!

A second later, his arm moved at lightning speed as his hand came to rest inches from my right eye. Balled into a fist, I was momentarily afraid he would hit me. I exhausted sharply looking into his eyes. Questioning whether he meant to continue his hand's trajectory straight into my eye. Something deep inside winced for the impact that my heart knew would never come. I continued to watch as his hand opened and pink eraser sat on the skin of his alabaster palm. I looked at the eraser and then past it to Lauren, who peered back at me with a smug expression on her face. Edward caught my line of sight. I wasn't sure, but I thought he growled.

In the back of the room, I heard Mr. Banner rummaging around in one of his cabinets apparently looking for the next part of the lesson. Edward stiffened in the seat next to mine. "Bella," he whispered through clenched teeth. "I am not feeling so well right now. But, I promise I will call you later."

I nodded and watched Edward stand and walk to Mr. Banner. He seemed paler than usual. Dark purple bruises had formed under his eyes where only slight darkness had been earlier. He whispered to Mr. Banner, grabbed his bag and paper from the table, and headed for the door.

The video ended soon after Edward left. Mr. Banner began passing out small plastic kits of some kind. "Listen up kiddos. Now for the fun part," he began drawing our attention to the front of the room. Looking over to Mike, who was wildly gesturing to Jessica, reenacting his latest triumphs on the basketball court, Mr. Banner caught his wrist in mid-air.

"Mr. Newton, would you like to be a volunteer?" Mr. Banner asked rummaging through one of the plastic kits.

"Sure, why noOOOOOOOOOUCH!" Mike screamed as Mr. Banner poked his finger with a sterile lancet. The blood at the tip of Mike's finger pooled and glistened in the harsh light of the classroom.

I felt my knees tremble slightly and I tucked my head in my hand. "I'll go around now and help anyone who needs it but I want you all to help your partner type his or her blood. Of course, Miss Swan if you wouldn't mind working alone?" I knew he had stopped by my table. Around me, my classmates were pricking their fingers and the rusty smell of blood assaulted my nose. _Here I go!_ I thought.

I stood suddenly and looked at Mr. Banner, feet away from me. My eyes plead with him. He knew immediately. "To the nurse, Bella. Now!" He probably couldn't handle a sick student anymore than I could handle the blood all around me.

I grabbed my bag and ran for the hallway, afraid I would be sick in the middle of class. I staggered out of the building and immediately bent over the spot I had sat yesterday and empty the contents of the stomach onto the pavement. Swaying on my feet, I righted myself and took a step towards the Nurse's Office on the other side of campus. I didn't know if I could make it there.

I staggered a few steps before my legs completely gave way. I put my hands out, trying to catch myself before I hit the pavement. The violent impact never came. Through hazy eyes I looked up to see bronze hair moving in the winter wind. _EDWARD!_, my mind screamed.

He was carrying me down the path to the Office. My brain moved sluggishly through the fog around me. Edward was bringing me to the office. Edward was carrying me. My mind paused before it exploded. **EDWARD WAS CARRYING ME!**

I struggled to get out of his arms. I couldn't have him touching me like that … feeling my weight in his arms … feeling the extra fleshiness of my stomach. I couldn't have this. _He would know!_ my brain rebelled against the added stress and puttered like an old car backfiring.

I awoke to Edward leaning over me on the pavement mere feet from the front door of the office. His lips were on mine. I gasped, inhaling a sweet breath of air. My head spun again and Edward was picking me up and carrying me to the Nurse. She took one look at me and called Charlie. I heard snippets of the conversation as Edward took the phone from the nurse and told Charlie he would take me. Take me where?

Edward put his arm under me and picked me up again. It seemed almost effortless to him but I couldn't stand the humiliation of him being forced to do this. I closed my eyes as tears rushed to break free. He took a deep breath and sighed audibly. He knew I was crying. I was mortified. How could I do this? I tried to thrash about in his arms but was forcibly held against his body.

His body was hard as rock and cold, so delightfully cold. I snuggled closer to him, looking for relief from the fire that began burning in my head. The wind whipped around us and Edward began running. I could only assume he was heading for the lot.

"Bella, I have to put you in my car," he said quietly. I nodded acceptance. I waited to feel his arms leave me. They didn't. "Bella. You have to let go. I can not drive and hold you like this at the same time."

If there was any blood left in my face, I'm sure I was blushing furiously. Edward placed me gingerly in the car and ran around to the other side, sliding in the driver's seat. Through half closed eyes, I watched Edward expertly swing his silvery car out of the lot and speed down the road. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned against him as he drove. My eyes closed and I inhaled. The same sweet scent that I had tasted in my mouth minutes before surrounded me again. Edward, that was the smell. Edward. The corners of my lips must have twitched upwards because Edward asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"No," I answered. I couldn't open my eyes. The movement of the scenery flying passed the car window made me want to be sick all over again. Finally, Edward pulled the car into a spot and I heard his door bang shut again. Not even a second passed when I felt the same weightlessness. Edward had picked me up … AGAIN. He was carrying me into an exam room when I realized where I was. Forks County Hospital.

"Bella, this is my father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He's going to take a look at you." A young man no older than twenty five stood in front of me. His hair was a creamy blonde, but I could see the resemblance between him and Edward. His skin was the same pale shade and their eyes … their eyes were brilliant.

I tried to focus my eyes on Edward who still held my hand as I lay on a crisp white hospital bed. "He's too young," I muttered out loud. This young doctor was Edward's father? Adopted father or not, he was so young.

I heard two musical laughs as Edward and Dr. Cullen chuckled in harmony. "I assure you, Bella, that I more than old enough to practice medicine." He looked me over, pinching the skin on my hand and moving to look into my eyes. "Bella, I think you'll be alright. Do you usually have this reaction?"

I tried to think. "Only to blood," I answered truthfully just to hear Edward attempt to stifle a chuckle.

"Blood?" Dr. Cullen asked suspiciously. "What were you doing around blood?"

"I guess they were typing in Biology," I heard Edward answer. My eye lids felt like lead so I let Edward continue. "I did not feel well, so I left before it began. But, I have my suspicions that Bella can not take the sight of blood."

"Smell," I corrected.

"What?" Edward asked, incredulously. After a pause, he continued. "You can not smell blood."

"It smells like rust," I answered turning over to expose my arm to Dr. Cullen. He was adjusting something higher up on my bicep. I felt something tighten and then a slightly pinch on the top of my hand. Dr. Cullen had placed an IV into my arm and hung the bag above my bed.

"You'll stay here for now, Bella," he said placing his hand on Edward's shoulder. "That's just some fluids. You're a little dehydrated. Charlie should be here soon. We'll leave you to get some rest."

I didn't want Edward to leave but I knew it was stupid for him to stay. He was almost out of the door when I called to him, "Edward," I said when he returned to my side. His hand clasped my own and I shuttered at the current I felt at our touch. I had been looking forward to the feel of it again. "Edward, I wanted to say 'thank you.' For all your help. For everything. And that, I am sorry you had to …" My words stopped, stuck in my throat. How do you thank someone for not bring up how heavy you are and helping you when you needed them so?

"Bella," he sighed leaning over me. "For you, I would do it again in a heart beat." His breath on my forehead caused my heart to flutter momentarily. I hoped he wasn't close enough to hear it. He smiled and drew back. "I'll call you later, Bella."

Charlie walked in the room just as Edward was leaving. They nodded an acknowledgement and passed each other. In the doorway, Charlie paused momentarily to watch the younger man head down the hallway towards the exit before turning back to me.

"Looks like you have a good friend there in Edward," he said putting his hand on my warming face. "You gave me a scare. It's not everyday that I have to go to hospital looking for you. Twice, no less!"

He laughed at my expression of apologetic regret. "Get some sleep, Bells. I'm going to go talk to the doctor."

Exhausted, I fell into a dreamless sleep. It felt like minutes had passed when I awoke to find Dr. Cullen pulling the IV out of my hand, painlessly. He held my other hand in his. His touch was like Edward's, icy. I wondered if they shared the same condition. Pinching my skin, he smiled, "looks like you're fully hydrated now. You should be able to leave as soon as I finish my examination. I want you take it easy tonight though. No sports."

"Not a problem. Hear that, Charlie?" I ask looking at Charlie seated in the corner waiting for the doctor to finish. "Dr. Cullen said 'no sports.' No more Japanese off-season baseball for us. Finally, we can watch some real TV."

Dr. Cullen chuckled and turned to Charlie. "How do you think Daisuke Matsuzaka will do next season?"

Charlie loved baseball and I knew this conversation could go on forever. "I just can't believe the Red Sox paid 50 million just to _talk_ to him. Another 50 million for him to come play for them? He better be worth it."

"We'll see, huh?" Dr. Cullen answered. The only thing Charlie loved more than baseball was his beloved Red Sox. I couldn't blame him though. I just didn't understand the rabid fan attraction.

I coughed, trying to bring the attention back to me. I wanted to leave sometime before the sun went down.

Dr. Cullen took out the same tool he had used earlier to inspect my eyes. I looked back into his eyes as he examined me. "Last test," he stated. "I think you're going to be just fine."

"You've got Edward's eyes," I said, suddenly as I looked at him. I hadn't been thinking and the words had just slipped out. I blushed.

He smiled. "You're free to go," Dr. Cullen chuckled before walking out of the room. His head popped back in momentarily as I collected my bag and shoes from next to the bed. "Oh, and _he's_ got _my_ eyes," he said with a smile before turning again.


	9. Twenty Questions

**Disclaimer: S. Meyers owns the rights to and retains all royalties for the Twilight series. I'm just standing in her shadow.**

Last time:

_He smiled. "You're free to go," Dr. Cullen chuckled before walking out of the room. His head popped back in momentarily as I collected my bag and shoes from next to the bed. "Oh, and _he's_ got _my_ eyes," he said with a smile before turning again._

_

* * *

_

Big, fat snow flakes fell from the sky as Charlie and I left the hospital. Dr. Cullen had asked me to take it easy. I walked cautiously across the slick tar to Charlie's police cruiser. Charlie held the door for me and walked around the other side while I made myself comfortable.

We were almost at the house when I heard the ring of a phone. _Charlie's police line_, I thought, looking around the cab to answer it while he drove. I didn't see the phone in plain view. Looking to Charlie to see where the phone was, he looked back at me questioningly. "When did you get a cell phone?" he asked.

"I didn't," I said. "I thought it was yours?"

"Nope," he said reaching with a free hand to the back seat. He plopped my school bag in my lap. The ringing was coming from the front pocket of my bag. I opened it to find a sleek silver phone wedged under a half eaten bag of 100 calorie cookies. Someone must have mistaken my bag for their own and left their phone with me.

I looked at the caller ID screen. To my surprise, I saw the name and started. "You gonna answer it?" Charlie asked.

"Hello?" I said tentatively.

"Good evening, Bella. I hope you are feeling better." The voice on the other side smoldered.

"Thank you, Edward. I am," my suspicions raised, I continued. "How did you get this number. For another matter, how did I get this phone?"

A chuckle was my answer. He paused and continued, "Would you like to get some dinner tonight?"

_WHAT?_ my brain screamed. _SAY YES! _my heart sang. "Edward, I would …" I hesitated looking at Charlie who had just pulled the car into our meager driveway. "I can't tonight. Your dad said I had to take it easy. Can I take a rain check on the offer thought?"

"No," he answered. My heart fell out of my chest. "I have a better idea than a rain check. I will bring dinner to you. My treat. Then, you will not be disobeying doctor's orders."

Oh no. Edward was coming to Charlie's house. Charlie's tiny, miniscule, insignificant cottage. It wasn't like we were poverty stricken but Charlie never wanted to be rich. Good thing, because it would never happen on a small town cop's salary.

"Edward, I don't think…"

"What is your favorite pizza topping?" he asked cutting me off. "Please ask Chief Swan the same. I will be bringing dinner over tonight. This is not an offer. You need to rest and I am sure Chief Swan had a difficult day with the fiasco this morning and your illness."

My illness. He made it sound humorous. I pass out at the smell of blood. It's not an illness, it's the strangest phobia ever.

"No, Edward. I don't even know how you got this number …"and then it hit me. "This is your phone, isn't it?" He was silent on the other line. "That's why the name came up as Alice. You're calling from her phone, aren't you?"

When his answer came, his voice sounded like a young boy being scolded for stealing cookies before dinner. "Can I come over and talk about it?" he asked, almost begging me to relent to his pleas.

I sighed. "Yeah, Edward."

"Thanks. I will be there in an hour or so," he said.

"Edward, chicken margarita. No Basil," I answered.

"What?"

"The pizza? Chicken margarita pizza with no basil."

"Oh … of course. See you in an hour," I could hear the smile in his voice. Closing the cell phone, I smiled myself.

"Hmm. Worse than I thought," Charlie said looking over at me.

"What?" I said in a shrill voice I couldn't control. Charlie knew just how to rile me up.

"Edward. You," he smiled. I knew what he was thinking. He thought I had a crush on Edward. Or maybe that Edward liked me. Edward was my friend. Albeit, a friend of two days, but a friend nonetheless. And how could the angel-faced Edward like me?

"Dad!" I said, punching him lightly on his arm. "Edward's coming later. He's bringing pizza. Can you be nice when he gets here?"

"Sure, so what should I clean before he comes?" Charlie asked helping me out of the car and up to the porch. Charlie's snicker came again. I had made sure the house was spotless before I left for school in the morning. It was another left over habit from years of living with Renee. Phil had learned to get out of my way when I was on a cleaning bender. Sometimes, it just felt good to get everything out by cleaning.

"Watch TV. I'm going to shower," I instructed leaving Charlie to watch SportDesk without me.

The front door bell rang just as I was getting out of the shower. The hot water had felt so good I couldn't tear myself away from it. Dressing quickly, I heard Charlie invite Edward in. The smell of fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, and grilled chicken wafted up the stairs and lingered in my room.

I descended the steps carefully so as not to trip and fall like I was so prone to do. Waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs was Edward. When I had made it half way down, he looked up, his eyes meeting my own. A silent intake of air made me hesitate. Did I have something on my face? Oh my God! Had I put on a shirt with a rip on the front? My hands reached for my stomach. Nope, fully clothed. What was Edward staring at?

I smiled at him as I passed and noticed that he leaned back, away from me and closer to the door frame between the kitchen and the living room. It still hurt when he did that even though I didn't know why. Why was he forcing himself to be my friend if he was so repulsed by me?

I grabbed two slices of pizza for Charlie and put them on a plate. "Eat slow," I told him. "I don't want you getting heart burn." Charlie smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

"Yes, mom," he mocked.

I took another two pieces and put them on a plate and grabbed two Cokes from the fridge. I grabbed another plate and put a single slice on it. "Come," I said to Edward, asking him to follow me upstairs to my bedroom.

"You do not eat as a family?" Edward questioned as I motioned him to take a seat at the desk or on the bed. When he sat on my bed, I took a seat on the floor with my back to the wall. He looked at me questioningly for a moment before sliding down off of the bed to sit across from me on the floor.

"Here," I said passing him the Coke and the plate with two slices of pizza on it.

He mumbled a 'thanks' before putting the plate on the blue carpet next to him. "How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Is that how you're going to start?" I laughed. He couldn't help but laugh at me, I guessed, when his musical chuckle burst from between his lips.

"Ah, so we are going to play 'Twenty Questions' now?"

"More like Forty Questions. Remember, every question you ask, I get to ask you one too." He smiled at me.

"Alright," he put his finger to his lips as if thinking deeply. "But I have a condition too."

"Shoot," I said. I could take any condition he could throw at me.

"You have to answer honestly, **and**" he said with emphasis, "completely. Friends do not tell each other half truths. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Hmm, alright. Easy one. What is your favorite band?" he asked crossing his legs underneath him. His face relaxed into a pleasant smile and I could tell he was genuinely awaiting my answer.

"Right now? I've been listening to a lot of Muse's new CD. There's a Boston based band I love called the Dropkick Murphys. I could listen to just about anything," I admitted. "But, I've got a soft spot for classical. I love to listen to it while I'm reading or working on homework. Sometimes, I just lay on my bed and zone out while listening to Debussy."

"Debussy?" he asked, doubting me.

"Yeah, check the CD player," I motioned to the small CD player on the bedside table. Sure enough, when he popped open the top, Debussy sat in the holder waiting to be played.

"I thought I was the only one who listened to Debussy to zone out," he confessed. I smiled.

"Dropkick Murphys, huh? I heard them live on the Government Center Plaza in Boston a few years ago. And Muse …" he said drifting off. An enormous grin broke out on his face. "They are Muse. How can you not like them?"

"Ok, Mr. Music," I began. It was my turn now. "Where did you live before Forks, Washington?"

"Denali, Alaska with family friends. My father was offered a position at Forks County Hospital so … here we are." We shot questions back and forth at each other until I heard the cookoo clock in the den announce that it was nine. Charlie opened the door and asked how we were a few minutes later.

"Well, it's getting late," he announced, putting a door stop under my door forcing it to remain open. "I have to be up at four tomorrow morning. I don't want you up much longer either, Bella. Goodnight, Edward," he walking to Edward and shaking his hand. Edward immediately stood and took Charlie's hand like the gentleman he was. I stood on impulse, as everyone else around me was on their feet. "Thank you for helping Bella today."

"It was my honor, Chief Swan," he said looking back at me. I could feel a blush creeping over my face. I had to sit and the bed was closest. "Anything, for Bella."

Charlie left my room but Edward remained standing awkwardly until we heard Charlie's bedroom door close at the opposite end of the hallway. "Shall I leave you for this evening?" he asked motioning with his thumb to the door.

"Not if you don't want to. I'm not tired yet." I wasn't. "You can stay if you're not too tired." I wanted him to stay. Please don't be tired.

"I can stay." He folded his legs under him again and sat on my bed, inches from me. "I believe it was my turn."

His eyes danced over my face. I could feel his breath. He was so close. "Yeah," I answered, slightly dazed.

"Why did you move from Phoenix? Forks is nice, but Phoenix is so much …" he paused, "sunnier."

He was my friend, right? I could tell him the truth about Phoenix. "There was a boy at school who … well he … tormented me. On a daily basis, as a matter of fact. I could handle it at first. I mean, I'm used to people getting their rocks off at my expense but Tobi was … vicious." I continued to tell him the story of the sophomore semi-formal. "Eventually, he was calling the house hundreds of times a day and threatening to kill me if I told anyone what was going on. I made sure I was sick from school at least three times a week. My mom knew something was up. She and my step-father, Phil, asked Charlie if I could move in with him. And she shipped me off … to be Charlie's problem for a while."

I stopped. There was nothing more to the story but he was waiting for more. "Is it better here?" Much I thought to myself. I finally have a friend who wasn't judging me or, rather, he wasn't passing judgment on me immediately. He was giving me a chance to prove myself.

"That's two questions. I can't answer that one," I said with a smirk. "My turn: Why was your cell phone in my bag?"

He grinned, mischievously. "Bella, my cell phone was not in your bag."

"Then whose cell phone was in …"

"Eh, eh," he scolded. "That, my dear, is two questions. I believe it is my turn, now?"

I 'humph'ed, but nodded. "You love Chief Swan, do you not?"

"Yes," I answered truthfully. "I mean, Renee moved away from him when I was just a year old. But he is my father. Charlie means well. I can tell that he still misses Renee sometimes though."

"My turn. Where did the cell phone that I found in my backpack, and you called earlier, get there?" I asked, trying to be as specific as I could.

"I put it there," he confessed.

"You said it wasn't your phone!" I accused.

"It is no longer my phone, Bella," he said with a crooked smirk. Laughter seemed to dance up to his golden eyes. "It is your phone now."

"Edward! You gave me your phone?" I accused.

"I was going to buy a new one this weekend. I just decided to get one earlier. Last night, as a matter of fact. So, the number I gave you, yesterday is no longer valid as a means to reach me," he smiled.

"I programmed my number, your house number, Alice's number and a few other important ones into it." I shook my head as he spoke. I couldn't accept a present from Edward. Especially, not after all he had done for me in the passed few days.

"I can't Edward," I said taking the phone from the nightstand where it sat. "I can't accept this."

"Bella, please take it as a sign of my friendship to you. So, I can feel safe about you driving around in that old hunk of scrap metal you insist on calling a truck."

"Hey," I exclaimed, "leave the truck out of this. What did it ever do to you?" We both laughed, accepting that the token of a cell phone would connect us if need be.

"It is my turn, again." His voice grew dark. "Bella, what happened to your eye?"

"My eye?" I said touching my cheek still tender and slightly swollen. "I told you."

"No, Bella," he said, taking my wrist with his hand. "I want the truth. I have not lied to you all night. Please do not lie to me," he asked of me.

I looked away from him and muttered into my shoulder. "What, Bella?" his eyes flashed with rage. If he had heard my answer enough to anger him why did he want me to say it again?

"Lauren," I said loudly. "Lauren decked me after Biology yesterday. She saw me hugging you and punched me. She told me never to touch you, again. That you were hers. If she finds out that you helped me today, that you were here tonight … she said she would make me bleed, next time."

I watched his expression as his face contorted. Every soft line grew deep and ragged. The subtle twinkle of his eye was extinguished to be replaced with pure malice. I had never seen anyone react like this. I was afraid for a moment before remember who this was. Edward, the boy who had saved me from humiliation in Biology and carried me, quite literally, to the help I needed after I passed out. Deep inside Edward, I heard a primal growl escape his throat.

Without thinking, I reached out and placed my plump fingers on his tapered ones. The growling stopped and I felt his other hand close around my fingers trapping it in a chilly cocoon. "Bella, forgive me," he asked. I sat there with him. My touch seemed to comfort him as much as his did to me.

"Maybe I should go," he said looking at his wrist watch. It was 10:34. "You need your sleep."

"Wait, Edward," I said stopping him before he got up. "I've got one more question." He paused and shifted his weight back onto my bed. I liked the way his light skin almost sparked against the dark brown of my comforter.

"Just one more, then I must leave."

"Edward, can you tell me about your 'condition'," I asked. I didn't know if it was rude to ask something so person but I figured it was worth a try.

"Bella," he sighed to himself. "I wish I could tell you. But, not tonight, you are already exhausted. Get some sleep," he said lifting himself from my bed once more. "Will you show me out?"

I nodded and walked Edward to the door leading to the porch. "You can use this door, if you come over again," I told him.

"I will," he agreed. "Until tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," I answered. I was reaching to shut the door behind him when I felt his chilly hands spark against my left hand. I looked up in time to watch him draw my hand to his mouth and politely kiss the back. Pure heat radiated from my arm and through out my whole body. Our eyes met before he released his grip.

"Tomorrow," he said and turned to his silver Volvo sparkling under the onslaught of a full moon.


	10. A New Side of Bella

**Disclaimer: S. Meyers owns the rights to and retains all royalties for the Twilight series. I'm just standing in her shadow.**

Last time:

"_Tomorrow," I answered. I was reaching to shut the door behind him when I felt his chilly hands spark against my left hand. I looked up in time to watch him draw my hand to his mouth and politely kiss the back. Pure heat radiated from my arm and through out my whole body. Our eyes met before he released his grip._

"_Tomorrow," he said and turned to his silver Volvo sparkling under the onslaught of a full moon._

* * *

The morning dawned fresh and new. Getting ready for school had always been a chore. This morning, I was giddy. I smiled as I brushed my hair. I smiled as I heated up frozen waffles. I smiled as I found my backpack and pushed my books inside. I was surprised when I caught myself looking in the hallway mirror. I was still smiling. I didn't think anything could dampen my spirits this morning. 

Even the weather had realized that it couldn't hold a grudge against me any longer and the sun broke free of the clouds as my ancient truck lumbered its way to school. Arriving, I scanned the lot for Edward's shiny Volvo. I didn't see it. I was early today, _he's just running late_, I told myself and headed for my first period.

I didn't see Alice in the halls between classes. _Odd_, I thought. I poked my head in the lunch room as the bell tolled but didn't see the Cullens or Hales there. _Must be a family thing, _I thought. I'd have to find a place to hide in the library for lunch today.

Edward wasn't in Biology and I suffered through another video. I went home longing to talk to my new friend. I thought about calling him but decided I could wait until tomorrow. I fell asleep dreaming of Edward and I driving race cars made of diamonds around and around a huge oval track.

Friday morning was dark and gray. _At least the sun came out once!_ I couldn't adjust to the dank days in Forks. Phoenix had been all sun, all the time. I missed the warmth too.

School continued like the previous days. I was getting good at ignoring the staring and the whispering. I longed for the hour and half I got to spend with Edward each day in Biology. He sat carelessly at our lab table as I entered the room, fresh from the library. I wanted to ask him where he and his siblings had been yesterday but it was then that Mr. Banner came in with another video for us to watch.

Today's feature presentation was on a procedure known as 'pithing.' We watched as scientists on the projection screen strategically placed a needle at the back of frog's head and pushed into the spinal cortex where the brain stem met the spinal column. The frog would remain alive but technically brain dead. Mr. Banner said that on Monday, each group of lab partners would choose a frog from the terrarium in the back of the room and get to pith it.

"Bella, I expect you did this in Phoenix?" he asked. Little did Mr. Banner know I wouldn't be pithing anything.

"No," I answered, steadfast in my resolve. He looked at me quizzically for a moment before I continued. "I don't believe in animal testing or animal experimentation."

"Oh, great another activist on our hands!" Lauren said under her breath. More directly, she turned to face me, "Bella, shut up. We don't want to hear it."

"Actually, I want to hear," Mike said from behind a giggling Jessica. Lauren's face fell.

"Go on, Bella," Mr. Banner urged. "I always like to hear a compelling issue spoken about frankly and I'll let you out of it if you can convince me." I swallowed a lump in my throat. I could do this.

"Mr. Banner, how would feel if I asked you, right now, to take a scalpel and make a cut into Mike's chest?" I asked standing from my stool and walking over to Mike and Jessica's table. "Mike needs a heart transplant, and you've been asked to do the surgery. Pretend for a moment, ok?"

"Without medical training?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"Let's say you have medical training. But, this is your first procedure while doing your residency. You have never done anything like this and your mentor has been called away for another urgent case. How do you feel?" I asked again.

"Well," he stopped to think. He must be wondering where I was going with this. "I'd have seen other procedures done and would have read about it in text books right?"

"Right," I answered, "but, this would be your first solo operation."

"Nervous," he answered. I knew he was being honest. "And unsure of myself."

"Exactly. You would be doing surgery you were not competent enough to handle yet," I said walking away from Mike and closer to Mr. Banner. I could feel all thirty pairs of eyes in the class staring at my back. "Pithing a frog is very delicate. It takes surgical accuracy to get the needle in the correct spot, with the correct pressure, and sever the cortex. Wouldn't you agree?"

He nodded his head.

"Then, what makes you think that fifteen pairs of untrained high school juniors are going to get each frog perfectly in the right spot with a hair thin needle?" He didn't answer. I turned to the students.

"When you miss the cortex, do you know what happens next?" I asked one student whose name I didn't know. Her blonde hair moved as she shook her head 'no.'

"Nothing. It's impossible to tell if the procedure has been done properly after it's been completed. The frog can't tell you what its feeling, can it?" I asked, rhetorically.

"Mr. Banner, what's the next step on the lab sheet after pithing?" My back remained towards him as I watched the faces of my classmates.

"Let's see," he said holding up a piece of paper with the instruction. "'Step 5: Make an incision from the chin to the groin on your frog.'"

"Cut open the frog," I reiterated. "Remember, he can feel everything that is happening to him because you haven't gotten the needle in the right place. But here, take this scalpel," I said holding up a scalpel from the dissection kit on Mr. Banner's desk, "and place the sharpened blade at the soft skin below his jaw. Slice open his chest. Continue down to his stomach and end at his groin."

I put the scalpel down. Looking around, I could see Angela watching me intently. I knew I had an ally in her. I could count on her to back me up with Mr. Banner. "Step 6," I recited from memory. "'Widen skin flaps and pin to dissection pan.' Step 7: 'identify heart, liver, lungs and kidney.' Step 8: 'Excise those organ.'"

I had begun pacing as I spoke and turned back to Angela. "Angela, how do you think it would feel to have your kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart unceremoniously riped from your body? Just imagine, you can feel every slice of the knife as it ripped through the arteries in your chest."

"I don't think I would enjoy it," she answered with a smug look. I was going in for the kill and she knew it.

"Me neither," I assured her and the rest of the class. "All because someone, without the skill to pith that frog correctly, was assigned to. Mr. Banner," I called to him turning back to the front of the room, "I can not, in good conscious, participate in the death of these frogs."

The class held their breath. Mr. Banner looked at me and then to the stunned students around him. Many of them had the same look of horror in their eyes that I had the first time I learned about animal experimentation from a teacher in Phoenix. He nodded at me, resigned to my position. "I see you've done your research, Miss Swan. You will be excused from the experiment."

Edward looked at me. I could see the astonishment pass over his face.

Mike's face turned pale as Mr. Banner took a frog out of the tank and handed it to him. "Mr. Banner, I can't," he said handing the frog back to the teacher. "Jessica?" he asked, looking at Mike's lab partner. She shook her head 'no.'

"Is anyone planning on completing the experiment?" he asked.

Lauren's hand shot into the air. Realizing hers was the only one raised, she tentatively lowered it, looking around embarrassed.

"Bella, I think you just inherited 20 frogs. You better find something to do with them," Mr. Banner stated, resignedly sitting back at his desk.

"I know of a great virtual dissection we can do online," I told him and he brightened again. Walking back to my seat, I asked over my shoulder. "Do you mind if I give the frogs to the Port Angelus Aquarium? I hear they've got a new terrarium exhibit."

The bell rang loud as he opened his mouth to speak. "Sure, sure," he said waving his hand in dismissal. "Just don't release them outside. They're not indigenous to Washington."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll be back for them at the end of the day."

Edward waited for me outside the room. He leaned against the wall with his arms woven across his chest. His closed eyes, popped open when I exited the room. He smiled a grin that danced from his lips, passed his cheeks and struck his honey eyes.

"That was amazing," he said. His voice simmered. I couldn't help but smile back. "Will you be needing help to get the frogs home tonight?"

I laughed. I knew all I had to do was call Charlie and he would make the necessary arrangements to get the amphibians to their new home. The Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Aquarium was Charlie's college roommate.

"No," I chuckled. "Don't be late for class."

He smiled but hesitated as I turned to walk in the opposite direction. "Bella," he called to me. "You impressed me in there. Standing up for what you believe in. It takes courage to do that. I wish I had your heart."

I felt a weight inside me shift. My heart? _I wish you had my heart, too_, I thought. That's not what he meant! Wait … did I want him to have my heart?

He held up his hand to wave 'goodbye' and headed out of the building.

Walking to gym, I bumped into Alice. "Don't forget, Bella," she sang and I sped to class. "I'll be there to pick you up tomorrow at 1, ok? Rosalie, too!"

"Sure thing," I answered and she disappeared into Building 3.

* * *

R&R ... if I get enough ... I'll post one tomorrow morning as a Thanksgiving treat! 


	11. The Mall

**Disclaimer: Obviously, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters from the world of the ****Twilight**** series. I only like to play with them. But I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.**

_Walking to gym, I bumped into Alice. "Don't forget, Bella," she sang and I sped to class. "I'll be there to pick you up tomorrow at 1, ok? Rosalie, too!"_

"_Sure thing," I answered and she disappeared into Building 3. _

* * *

I went to bed that night knowing that I had done a good thing in Biology class. The frogs had been picked up by Charlie's friend at the Aquarium and were safe from any future science experiments. Curled up in my comforter, I dreamt of frogs flying kites in a frigid winter wind.

The next morning, my alarm went to off at 9 a.m. I wanted to sleep-in but still give myself enough time to shower and get ready to go out with Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale. I shaved my legs in the shower and put hot conditioning oil in my hair. Convinced that I must look better than before, I was ready to go an hour later. A note on the refrigerator from Charlie announced that he was going fishing for the weekend with some of his friends from the La Push reservation.

In the time before Alice came to get me, I decided to do some homework due on Monday. I finished that in no time and went up to my room to grab a book. Searching for Anna Karenina on my book shelf, I noticed that my window was open a teeny, tiny crack. _I'm going to have to talk to Charlie about that_, I thought. _The weight in that old window must be off. The window keeps opening with the wind at night. _

I read for a few hours before I heard a light step skip up the wooden porch. The doorbell rang and I grabbed my purse. Alice stood on the porch in all her tiny glory. Her hair was short but a lustrous black that stuck up. She was the height of fashion in both clothing and demeanor. I didn't think anyone could be cooler than she was.

Until, Rosalie stepped out of the car. She moved to the backseat to let me sit up front with Alice. Her long legs glided effortless upward where they were obscured by a tiny skirt. Her long blond hair fell in loopy ringlets below her shoulder blades. I could only sit stunned in the car waiting for Alice to start the engine.

We drove to the mall as Alice chattered quickly about sales at this store or the most adorable pair of gym shorts she saw at that store. I didn't know what to say. Rosalie answered at the appropriate times or started up another line of conversation but I sat mute in my seat. I was deathly afraid I was going to say something so ridiculous or stupid that they would leave me on the side of the highway, doomed to eternal friendlessness. I was just grateful to be along for the ride.

At the mall, Alice began her campaign of shopping. I say 'campaign' because it seemed to be like she was fighting a war. She would storm into a store, figuratively take the place hostage, and demolish their inventory. I watched with envy when she and Rosalie walked around picking items off shelves and racks. Sometimes, they didn't even bother to try them on, knowing that they would fit and look fabulous in this or that. A concierge service had been assigned the task of taking Alice and Rosalie's bags and holding them until our shopping spree was done, at which time they would follow us to our car and pack the bags in the trunk.

The girls flitted from store to store. Sometimes, I would pick up a shirt and hold it against myself but nothing was right. I didn't bother trying on clothes. Nothing looked good. I keep telling myself that one day I, too, would pull just anything off the rack and try it on. I wouldn't have to think about how the cut would make me look, if the fabric would make my stomach stick out more, or if the hem line made my legs look thicker.

At some point, Alice forcibly yanked me into a lingerie store. She watched me watching her and Rosalie picking out cute panties and push up bras. I wondered if she could tell how uncomfortable I was. I fingered a pair of satin thongs hanging on the wall. _No one will want to see me in one of this_, I thought.

Alice silently took my hand and led me to a table where different kinds of underwear were fanned across the surface in a swirled pattern. The display announced that all styles were '5 for $25.00.'

"Help me pick some out?" she asked. I smiled. Alice was so quirky. I could see her in the pink and purple spotted print, the black stripped print, a leopard print, a steel blue solid print, and the standard sexy black with a pink V stitched into the bum.

Alice smiled again. "All in the same style?" I laughed. Five colors? Why not five different styles too? I grabbed the pink and purple print in a string bikini; the black stripes in a Brazilian cut; the leopard print in a low rise bikini; the steel blue in a V-string; and the sexy black with the pink V in a boy short. They were all so cute and sexy. I envied Alice the freedom to wear anything she wanted. I was relegated to the standard Granny-panty.

"What size are you, Bella?" Alice asked offhandedly.

"What?" I turned on her. My tone was a little harsher than I meant it to be.

"Bella," she said with a huge smile, "I'm going to buy these for you."

"No, no, Alice," I said putting the panties back down on a random display. "I picked these out for you. You asked me to help you pick out panties for **you**."

If it was possible, Alice's smile grew until I thought the corners of her mouth would touch her ears. "I asked you to help me pick some out," she said with a mirthful chuckle. "I never said you were picking them out for me."

"No, Alice," I insisted. "These aren't my style."

Alice stood silently, with her hand place firmly on her hips, looking me up and down. Taking my hand again, she pulled me towards the fitting room where there was a pink filled lounge. I watched Rosalie take an armful of underwear, bras and other lingerie into a fitting room before Alice pulled me to a round couch that reminded me of an oversized ottoman.

She began talking. Her voice reminded me of afternoons with Renee. Renee was a kindergarten teacher who supplemented her meager income by baking cakes on the weekend. She and I would spend the afternoon spreading creamy icing on cooled cakes. Alice's voice reminded me of the silky icing being spread across the moist cakes with a hot knife. "Bella," she sang in her icing voice, "what are you hiding?"

Was she kidding? Couldn't she see me? I had followed her and Rosalie around all afternoon awkwardly hiding my body from the stares of the store clerks. Their glares accused. 'Why are you here,' their eyes screamed at me. 'You won't fit in our clothes, so unless these are a present for someone...'

"Alice," I began, "it was so nice of you and Rosalie to invite me along. But, I'm just not comfortable in …"

Comfortable in what? This store? This mall? My own skin?

Tears welled up daring me to continue. I stifled a whimper and a tear escaped. Alice's cold hand shot to my face. "Bella," she said gently wiping the wetness away. "I want to be your friend but you have to let me in. How about this, I'll tell you a secret and then you can tell me what the matter is. Then, we'll both know something about each other. We can be true friends."

She watched me silently as I thought and, then, nodded reluctantly. "Alright." She placed her hands on her lap and folded her feet under her body. Leaning forward to me, she admitted, "Bella, don't tell anyone at school, but," she said looking around to make sure the coast was clear of anyone we knew, "Jasper asked me to marry him." Her eyes lit up with her confession.

Angela had told me that Alice and Jasper were a serious couple but I never thought that serious. "Wow," I said, forgetting my tears. "What did you say?"

She giggled. "At first, I couldn't say anything, then ... come to think of it. I think I jumped on him and kissed him," her giggles became a full body laugh. The joy behind it lightly tugged my heart. "I don't think I ever said 'yes.' But I'm sure he knew I meant it."

I smiled. Physically, Jasper and Alice were the most mismatched couple I could think of. Alice was tiny, hardly five feet tall. Jasper was well over six feet. Her pale skin looked more fragile because of a shock of ridiculously black hair cropped short. Jasper's light skin was almost the same shade as mine but his hair was blonde and longer than his female companion's was. But when they were together … it was perfect. Jasper seemed peaceful during the three lunches I had watched the Cullens and Hales. Alice calmed considerably, too. They were nothing, if not a perfect match.

I sighed. It was my turn to live up to my end of our bargain. "Alice, I just …" How do you explain to someone as beautiful as Alice what it's like to be Bella Swan. I took another deep breath and began again. "Alice, do you know what's it like to have everyone stare at you, all the time?"

She nodded her head. Of course she did. She was gorgeous.

"Why do they stare at you?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she picked at a loose thread on the pink couch. "Cause of the way I look," she said, almost asking me.

"Exactly. But do you ever second guess that?" She shook her head. It never crossed her mind. "Does every look strangers give you make you question yourself? Do you think that every time a child leans up to whisper to its mother, that they are talking about you?" The tears mounted in my eyes again.

"Does the class get quiet when you walk in the room? Do people lean away from you when you walk near? Do you have to think about your every step? Will this path through the lunch room mean I have to squeeze between chairs? Will I fit through, between there and the wall?" The tears spilled forth and ran down my cheeks with a new fervor. I had never voiced my fears before. I looked down to find Alice's cold finger intertwined with my own.

"Do you know what it feels like when a store clerk sizes you up when you walk in a store and shows you to the 'big girl' area?" I asked using a one-handed air quote. "Alice, I've never had a friend before you, Rosalie, and Edward. No one's ever given me the chance to show them that I'm not just 'Bella, the fat cow.' People like Lauren have always been there to make sure I stay in my place. I'm ok with that place as long as they don't try to shove me down lower. Do you know what I mean?"

Alice's face darkened. I couldn't tell if she was repulsed by my feelings or my words more. "Bella, look at me," she said lifting my chin up so my eyes met hers. "Listen to me. You are so much more than who you think you are."

I shook my head, denying her words.

"No, Bella," she admonished me, holding my chin firmly. "You allow yourself to be what Lauren thinks you are. Look at these," she asked of me, pointing to the five pairs of panties she had brought with us when we sat on the couch. "Look at each of them. They are unique, bright, colorful, fun, and a couple of them are cheeky."

I laughed at her intended pun and she smiled back at me. "You picked them out thinking they were for me, but I think deep down, you were picking them out for yourself."

I thought about it and nodded. Somewhere inside, I wished I had the gumption to wear them. I was pushing my own hopes to Alice's wardrobe, subconsciously. I wished I had someone to wear them for, like Alice had Jasper. I sighed. Alice's words made sense.

"Bella, I don't know what it's like to be you. I don't get to walk in your shoes everyday. But, I can make a compromise; I can walk next to you. I will be there for you," she paused. "I'm sure Edward would be, too."

_Edward_, I thought and my mind sighed. A quick smile touched Alice's lips and disappeared almost as fast as it formed.

"Go find these in your size and I'll buy them for you," Alice said pushing me to my feet.

"No, Alice," I refused and her smile faded. "I can pay for them."

Bright eyed she responded, "My treat."

"What's it with you Cullens and treating me?" I asked under my breath as I headed for the underwear tables.

Walking away, I heard Alice call out to Rosalie, "Let me see that teddy!" Rosalie's door opened and Alice slipped in to her fitting room.

Finding my sizes in each style and color combination, I returned to the couch where Alice and I had had our heart to heart. Alice was growing on me little by little. I couldn't help but smile around someone as sweet as she was.

Inside Rosalie's dressing room, I heard the girls talking. "You told her about you and Jasper?" Rosalie asked, incredulously.

"Not everything," Alice responded.

"Why not just tell her about Emmett and me? Who needs secrets anymore?" Rosalie accused.

"Rosalie, lower your voice. The whole store is going to hear you!" Alice rebuked. "Jasper did ask me to marry him. A couple times if I remember right. As a matter of fact, I think it's about time you and Emmett …"

Rosalie cut her off, "What Emmett and I do is our business and none of some infernal busy body's."

As Rosalie and Alice bickered, I wandered back into the main store looking at the skimpy lingerie and wondered if I would ever be given a chance to wear something like the outfits Rosalie had walked into her dressing room with. Alice called to me and we made our purchase.

"Want to get some dinner?" Alice asked me. Rosalie looked around the food court, bored. Her expression was exactly what I felt. Revulsion.

"You know what? How about you both come over my house? I can cook something fabulous if you want?"

Alice glanced at Rosalie who rolled her eyes. What was her problem? If she didn't want to be here why did she come? "Umm, we can eat here if you want. I can make dinner another night," I said quickly trying to hide my disappointment. I loved to cook for others.

"No," Alice said, glaring back at Rosalie who was shifting the bags of her new purchases between hands. "Let's go to your house. Do we need to stop at the market before we get home?"

I thought for a moment. "Do you like orange chicken?" I asked.

Alice hesitated as if weighing options, "Yeah, not as much as red chicken, though."

I laughed. Alice was a riot. She smiled uncertainly, "Of course, we love orange chicken."

"No need for the supermarket then. I have all the spices, chicken and rice at home."

We headed for the central desk of the mall, picking up our shopping assistants who lugged over thirty bags back to Alice's car. Fifteen minutes later, we were driving on the high way back to Forks.

"Want me to invite Edward?" Rosalie asked, a smirk on her face.

Alice scowled at her from the driver's seat. "Edward, Emmett and Jasper went camping, Rose. I'm sure he'd love to come, though," she said turning a smile to me. "Next time."

When we reached Charlie's house, Alice bounced out of her seat and rummaged through the tightly packed trunk. Finding my bag from the lingerie store, the three of us walked towards the house in the dimming sun of twilight.

Reaching above the door frame, I found the key Charlie and I left there. Neither of us carried a key and found it easier to leave it for easy use. In the house, Alice helped me gather the spices and other food I would need to cook dinner, while Rosalie went into the living room. I could hear her walking around looking at the pictures Charlie had strewn about the top of the entertainment center.

Rosalie laughed out loud. Walking back into the kitchen, she held a small gold frame. "Who's the kid bathing in chocolate cake?"

Grabbing the frame, I tried to scowl at her the way Alice had done in the car. Alice noticed and laughed. "It's me," I admitted. "First birthday. Renee, my mom, gave me a chocolate cupcake. Apparently, I proceeded to smash it full force into my face." I laughed remembering Renee's retelling of the day. "She was washing frosting out of my nose for three days."

Alice studied the photo. "Was this here?" she asked pointing to the ground.

"Forks?" I asked and she nodded. "Yup, right out back. Renee left Charlie two weeks to the day after my birthday."

I poured the chicken into a cast iron fry pan and emptied half of a jar of orange marmalade along with it. A dash of hoisin sauce and a spoon of maple syrup followed. Alice watched me cook. "Want me to set the table?" she finally asked.

"Sure. Plates are up there," I pointed to a cabinet next to the fridge.

"I'm going to wash my hands," Rosalie said.

"Ok, top of the stairs and half way down the hall," I instructed, giving her directions to the bathroom.

Rosalie returned a few minutes later, whispering quietly under her breath. I saw Alice glance up and took in Rosalie's expression. "Bella, it's just you and Charlie here now, huh?" Alice asked. Rosalie's eye lit up.

"I'll wash my hands, too," Alice said, matter-of-factly, and disappeared up the stairs. I heard her rustling around upstairs.

"How do you like Forks?" Rosalie asked in Alice's absence.

"It's nice," I answered. "Rainy but nice." Rosalie smiled, almost as if at a personal joke and helped me to put silverware on the table. "Do you want something to drink?" I asked her.

"Water for me," Alice announced coming back down stairs and sat at the table. I heard her whisper to Rosalie, "All fixed." Maybe her hair had been sticking up or her pants were riding up. Whatever. _It happens_, I thought.

I placed the glasses on the table and followed behind with the cast iron pan. The girls took small helpings of the chicken, rice and vegetables and I spooned out some for myself.

During dinner, Alice told me more about Forks and the inner workings of the high school social scene. "Oh and don't forget about the dance in two weeks!" Rosalie said.

"What? What dance?" I asked.

"Saddie Hawkins dance," Alice clarified. "Girl's choice. We should have gotten you a dress today."

"Why? I'm not going," I responded.

"But it's girl's choice. You can ask anyone."

"But I'm not going to."

"We can talk about this Monday," Alice said bringing the empty dishes to the sink and washing them. "Think about it. I want a list of names of people you might want to ask."

"Alice, I'm not …" I started to refuse.

"Bella, its best just to do what she asks," Rosalie said shaking her head.

I walked the girls to the door and was astonished when Alice grabbed me and hugged me tight against her body. "Do you want to stay at our house tonight? I don't like you being home alone."

"No, I'm fine," I said. I looked forward to the warmth of my bed.

"Lock up tight tonight, Bella. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Drive safe," I asked of them as they closed the doors to the car.

Finishing the pans, I turned on the dishwasher and headed for my room. Alice had put my new underwear on my bed. I pulled the tags off the underwear and dropped them in the washing machine. Clothes off of my floor followed the panties and I turned it on, too. Back upstairs, the mechanical hum of the two machines was a peaceful drone in my ears. I laid my head down and thought about what Alice asked.

If I was going to go to the dance, who would I ask? Who would say 'yes'? I feared it might be a repeat of the sophomore semi-formal in Phoenix. My mind began to turn off as sleep lulled my body into a deep relaxation. Dreams quickly invaded my peaceful slumber.

That night was the first night I dreamt about Edward.


	12. Running Scared

**Disclaimer: Obviously, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters from the world of the ****Twilight**** series. I only like to play with them. But I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.**

_If I was going to go to the dance, who would I ask? Who would say 'yes'? I feared it might be a repeat of the sophomore semi-formal in Phoenix. My mind began to turn off as sleep lulled my body into a deep relaxation. Dreams quickly invaded my peaceful slumber. _

_That night was the first night I dreamt about Edward._

* * *

**Edward's Point of View**

"Edward, this is getting serious," Alice chirped in my ear. Upside down, she still looked like a hyperactive toddler off her medications. I could not bring myself to sit upright on my couch. Mozart was always best analyzed from a prone position.

"I know," I answered. The mousy brunette was invading my thoughts. How had I let it come to this? I feared for her safety on a daily basis. Not only did she seem to be the most accident prone person alive, but she had a bright red target on her back and Lauren had her in her sites.

I looked up at Alice, questioning the blank stare before a few flashes of the day to come over flowed from Alice's vivid Technicolor mind. She smiled, "pop quiz in Biology, Edward. I hope you have prepared."

I could not help but smirk. Bella's incredible speech on frog pithing had sent Mr. Banner into a state of panic. He had banked on a week of uninterrupted dissection conversation. Alice's vision had shown Mr. Banner "dissecting" a virtual frog online, which was shown to the entire class via the projection screen. This was promptly followed by a pop quiz, which Bella and I aced and left Lauren scratching her head in confusion. Granted, I had two medical degrees, so an "A" in a junior year Biology course was as easy as turning on a facet, but, Bella, she was different. She was intelligent without the airs that usually accompanied brains.

"She made Rosalie and I **eat** last night," Alice had placed emphasis on the word eat. Our kind could physically eat but, because we could not digest human food, some raccoons near the Swans' house would be supping on the delicacy that Alice and Rosalie's stomachs had expelled. "Did Rose tell you what she found?"

I had not seen Rosalie since she and Alice had returned from their shopping spree. I could hear her giggles and an amorous growl come from the room she shared with Emmett, her mate. She must be showing him her new acquisitions. "No, what?" my attention was peaked.

"Rose went to wash her hands when Bella was making dinner. She said she could smell a perfume lingering in the house," Alice said.

"Had you considered the possibility that it was Bella's?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, smart aleck! I thought the same thing, but Rose checked her dresser before coming back downstairs. No perfume bottles anywhere and the scent was not very concentrated, like it had never been applied in that room."

Scents, fresh or not, were easy to detect due to our delicate noses. A fragrance could stay in a room for weeks and our kind could pick it up. "So, maybe someone came to visit?"

"Yeah, but the smell was only in a few rooms: the bathroom, Bella's room, and in her closet. And, Rose knew what kind it was," Alice admitted.

This did not surprise me. Rosalie spent almost as much time at the mall as Alice did. While Alice focused on clothes, Rosalie was obsessed with shoes. The shoes in larger department stores were usually located on the first floor near the make up and fragrance counters. Over time, Rose's nose had become fine tuned and could discern multiple scents out of a room full of both men and women.

I waited for Alice to continue, "It was Trésor."

Trésor. Only one person I could think of wore that perfume. It was heavy and musky, an uncommon fragrance for a town like Forks. I popped up, my attention completely on Alice and our conversation. "Lauren," I growled.

"Lauren," she confirmed.

"Why was she in Bella's house?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"Well, Rose came down and told me about the perfume and I excused myself. In the bathroom, I found a fast-acting peroxide solution in her conditioner bottle. That would have stripped all the color from her hair."

I tried to imagine Bella's soft chocolate brown hair as the same color as Rosalie's. It did not suite her at all.

Alice continued, "There were itching powder and fiber glass filaments on her pillowcase. No doubt, Lauren wanted to make her scratch her scalp and face raw. The clothes in her laundry basket had been sprayed with doe urine. I threw them in a vinegar solution in her washing machine, but I don't know if that will take the smell out. It's a good thing that I bought her some outfits when she wasn't looking, today. I made sure to stuff those in her closet."

"How did she get in?" I wondered aloud.

"Bella keeps a key over the porch door. Not too smart for the daughter of the Chief of Police, if you ask me," she answer

Listening to Alice, I was appalled by Lauren's actions. She had violated the sanctity of the Swans' house.

_Hypocrite!_, I chastised myself. On Monday night, I had stolen into Bella's bedroom and turned off her alarm. Alice had seen Tyler Crowley's van slamming into Bella and her truck, killing her instantly. I could not let that happen. Not to the first friend I had had since 1918 who was not a vampire.

It seems as if I had saved her life twice now: Tyler's van and my own insatiable thirst. Her smell was intoxicating at best, overwhelmingly delicious at worst. I did all in my power the first day I met her not to drag her into the woods and drink her veins dry.

I had my opportunity when Mr. Banner excused us to go to the nurse. She had followed me willingly. My plan was to mesmerize her and take her. But, when I saw her face, crumbling with tears, I knew I could not bring more pain into her life. So, I did the only other thing that made sense, I comforted her.

In the week since I met Bella, she had not stopped astounding me. I could not hear her thoughts. That, in and of itself, was enough to unnerve me. Instead of stepping away from our family, as most humans did, Bella continuously steeped into our personal space. And the most simple of all, Bella was not like her peers. Most teenagers wanted to be the center of attention, to sine in the minds of their contemporaries. I could tell that Bella could not wait for others to forget her, to fade from the room and their memories.

Monday night, I stole into Bella's room to save her life. The following two nights, I went without a reason. I watched from the other side of the room. Too afraid to move. Too afraid that her scent might force my hand, breaking my 70 plus years of fasting from human blood.

"Lauren will pay," I said, bring myself back to the present. I looked out at the night sky, nice and dark. "Later."

Alice's smirk was enormous. "Where are you going, Edward?" she asked in her lilting voice.

"For a walk," I countered.

My "walk" took me to the Swan cottage on the edge of the woods. I search the house for Chief Swan's thoughts. _Ducks with fishing poles were attacking three fishermen in a row boat_. Dream, I determined. Bella was another matter. I could not hear her thoughts, so I had to creep to her window and open it slowly, hoping she was asleep. I heard her soft rhythmic breathing. Asleep.

I took my nightly position across the room from her bed. Bella smiled as I silently shifted in the wooden rocking chair. _Had she heard me?_

"No, Edward."

I froze. She knew I was here. Should I run? Tell her I was just a figment of her imagination? That she was still dreaming? Or having a nightmare?

"Edward, make her stop." _Make who stop what? _I wondered.

"Tell Alice that she isn't allowed to fly inside. She has to go outside." Flying Alice? Oh, this was precious. Bella was dreaming, and not just dreaming, but talking in her sleep, no less. She was quiet for hours after her dream of Alice. I was just about to leave when she yelled.

"Ouch!" I was sure Chief Swan had heard her and would awaken. But, his dreams focused on giving speeding tickets to trout as they passed a dock he and Billy Black sat on.

Bella's hand flew to her face. "No, Lauren, I'm sorry. I won't touch him, again," she pled with her dream. Her voice broke my heart.

She paused and scrunched her face, "Edward, help me."

I acted immediately, without a second thought. Placing my hands on her arms, I gently pulled them away from her face. Her round cheeks were red. I could not help but move a stray hair away from her eyelashes. She was so delicate. I wanted to pick her up and hold her in my arms.

"Be safe, Bella," I asked of her, tracing my finger across her warm cheek. The angry purple bruise was now a sickly yellow blotch. In a day or so, it would just be a memory. _I should go_, I thought. _The others might start to wonder._

Before I could turn to leave, Bella exhaled, sighing, "Edward." The full brunt of her essence, the floral freesia that enveloped her like armor, poured across my face. I could feel the monster inside stir to life. I could take her, here in her room, and no one would be the wiser.

A smile touched her lips as she turned on her side, sighing again, "thank you, Edward."

The demon inside recoiled. I pushed him down and ran to the window. I had to spare her. I was through the window and running in the forest before I knew it. Minutes passed and I came to the large meadow that preceded our house. I stopped and crouched down, my hands on my knees, drawing long draughts of air through my mouth as I had seen runners do. I hoped that it would somehow alleviate the ache in my chest. I knew it would but it was worth the try. This was not a physical ailment. How could I have come so close to hurting Bella?

A soft chuckle came from the bushes and Alice stepped free from the foliage. "This is getting serious, isn't it?" she asked mirroring our earlier conversation.

I could not lie to her. Alice knew me better than myself sometimes.

I looked into her creamy, golden eyes and simply nodded.


	13. Faking It

**Disclaimer: Obviously, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters from the world of the ****Twilight**** series. I only like to play with them. But I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.**

_A soft chuckle came from the bushes and Alice stepped free from the foliage. "This is getting serious, isn't it?" she asked mirroring our earlier conversation._

_I could not lie to her. Alice knew me better than myself sometimes._

_I looked into her creamy, golden eyes and simply nodded._

* * *

Bella's Point of View

Alice wasn't kidding when she said she wanted names of boys who, in a perfect world, I wouldn't mind asking to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Why did I have to move to Forks before this dance?

Monday morning, Alice jumped at me the instant I got out of the truck cab.

"So, who's it going to be?" she asked almost bouncing. Not sure what she meant at first, I watched her face fall as she realized I hadn't made a list like she had requested.

I blushed furiously. How could she expect me to ask someone? The embarrassment of a potential refusal already had me shirking back. I couldn't imagine what would happen in real life. If this was middle school, I could have Alice ask a guy if he would go with me and, if he refused, I could play it off like I didn't have part in her actions. But this was high school, and I would have to do it myself. I'd probably turn bright red and, while trying to run away from whomever I had asked, I'm sure I'd trip, land on my face, and bust my nose.

"Bella, You did make a list, didn't you?" she asked, pulling me towards the hall of junior lockers.

"Alice," I paused. "I couldn't do it," I whispered as the halls began filling with our classmates. It was my second week at FHS and, luckily, no one really paid attention to me any longer. I couldn't help but to be thankful for small miracles.

"Why not?" she asked. Her tiny nostrils were flaring. As suddenly as the anger danced across her face, it left. "Are the boys here not good enough for you? Don't they measure up to the guys in Phoenix?" she teased.

What she meant as friendly banter, hit me in the stomach like a load of bricks. Unless Edward had told her, I knew that Alice couldn't have known what happened last year, but, it still didn't alleviate the pain I felt. My face burnt red hot with shame and I had to look at the floor. I could hear my tormentor's voice in my head like he had followed me north from Phoenix. Alice's arms encircled me before I could clear my head of Tobi's teasing voice, chanting "fat cow!"

"Bella, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. I'm just so lucky to have Jasper that, sometimes, I forget …" she trailed off. In such close proximity, I could smell the same fragrance that lingered around Edward. Sweet and clean, almost like a sugared lemon. Her perfume was not as powerful as Edward's, but strong enough to give me a boost of energy.

A mental image of Edward popped into my head. He was standing in my bedroom with a bashful smile on his lips asking if I wanted him to stay a little longer. I clung onto the vision of his topaz eyes as Alice unwrapped me from her embrace.

And, suddenly, he was there. There, leaning against Alice's locker. His hair was beautifully windswept and unruly. His clothes were pristine. And his eyes … oh, his eyes. They twinkled with mischief. I couldn't help, but sigh.

Alice's head swiveled from me to Edward, and then back to me. I watched her, confused, as an enormous grin broke out across her face.

As the bell rang, Alice waved Edward away. He flashed me a lazy grin before walking down the hall. Alice took my momentarily lapse in attention to grab my hand and pull me back to her locker. "I've got a great idea. Here hold this," she said, filling my empty hands with her book bag. She began rifling through her locker and pulled out three notebooks and what looks like a Hefty trash bag filled with cosmetics.

"Don't you need your books?" I asked as she placed three French and two physics lab manuals from her back pack into her locker.

"No," she scoffed. Hey, who was I to judge? If she was even half as smart as her brother, I'm sure she might be able to show the teachers a thing or two. I loved how unpretentiously intelligent all the Cullens were. They weren't just another set of pretty faces.

"Ok, when do you have gym?"

"Last period, why?" What did she have planned for me? I couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Perfect," she said, rummaging deeper into her locker. "I knew I'd need this eventually." In her tiny outstretched palm was a rolled Ace bandage. I took it from her, confused. I had yet to follow her train of thought this morning, why would this be any different.

"What am I supposed to do with this?

"Bella, what do you usually use Ace bandages for?" Alice answered my question with one of her own.

"Immobilizing sprains?" I asked.

"Sprains," she confirmed, nodding her head.

"You think I'm going to spring something, today?" I asked her, befuddled. The girl wasn't a psychic. How could she know I'd need the bandage?

"Definitely," she said. The shock had to be showing on my face by now. Alice answered my unasked question. "You won't be spraining something later. Actually, it's your ankle. And it just happened. Or …" she paused thinking. "Or last night."

She had officially lost me. Her cryptic clues just served to confuse me further.

"Are you left or right handed?" What?

"Right," I answered, tentatively.

"Left leg, then," she said bending down. Without understanding what was going on, I felt the cold air blowing across my foot, slight pressure on my ankle and then warmth.

Alice popped up, handing me the gold ballet flat I had put on my foot this morning. I looked down. The bandage was snuggly wrapped around my left ankle. Alice had rolled my jeans up so that the "injury" was more visible.

"There," she said with a self satisfied smirk on her lips.

"'There' what?"

"That, Bella, is your pass out of gym. Tell the coach that you sprained your ankle last night. He'll send you to the library to get some work done. I've got English last period and we're working on our research papers. I'll meet you at a table in the back of the room, away from the librarians. We need to talk."

"Talk?" The girl still confused me. What had I done? Please don't tell me that my lack of enthusiasm for the upcoming dance had upset her enough to make her angry with me.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "I'll wait for you in the back," she said. With a hug, Alice was off to class.

I hopped my way through the rest of the day, trying to play up the charade long enough to make a clean break from gym class. Angela's concern at lunch was comforting. She helped me to the table I had been sitting at for the second half of the week, away from Lauren. Angela called to Ben, who grabbed his tray and took a seat. We talked through lunch about school and our families. Finally, the bell rang announcing the passing period. Ben piled my and Angela's trays on his own and carried all three to the wash area. I caught Angela's smile. She was beaming.

In Biology, Edward smirked at my fake limp. Taking my seat amongst sympathetic looks from my classmates, Edward chuckled. "You are a terrible actress," he whispered over Mr. Banner's droning voice. The Biology teacher had given into my request to utilize an online dissection model and was showing the entire class what he was doing in his "procedure."

I feigned hurt. "Edward, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were accusing me of faking an injury. What would be the benefit of that?"

His eyes darted from my bandaged ankle to the abrasions on my palms from a fall during volleyball, last week. "I would surmise that you plan to skip gym class."

My sneer was all the confirmation that he needed.

The class passed with a few more chuckles from Edward. I caught Lauren peering at me when she thought I wasn't looking. What did she want? Probably, just looking for something else to tease me about. I hadn't touched Edward, on purpose, since she warned me. I wondered if she could see the guilt that still lingered in my eyes from the time when he had been forced to. I felt the culpability of the situation each time I remembered Edward's arms around me, running me to his car, and helping me into the hospital.

I wondered if he knew that he was my own personal Superman.

"Have fun with Alice," Edward whispered to me at the end of class after we passed in a pop quiz Mr. Banner had sprung on us.

How did he know what we had planned? _Alice_, my mind hissed. Did she tell him everything? Wait … did he tell her everything? I'd have to find out somehow. Maybe I could trick one of them into telling me.

The gym teacher easily bought my ploy and within minutes, Mike Newton was helping me hobble to the Office building where the library resided. I found Alice hold up far in the back of the room, behind shelves of old town records and ancient yellowing almanacs.

"There you are," she said, patting a chair beside her. "Sit."

"Why all the cloak and daggers?" I asked. "I've been playing cripple all day, what's up?"

"You and I," she pointed at each of us in turn, speaking to me very slowly like I might not understand what she was saying, "we are going to get you a partner for the dance."

"Alice, I thought I told you I didn't want to ask a guy to the dance?" the hostility in my voice rose and I heard the librarian across the room clear her throat to quiet me.

Something like comprehension dawned across her face. "Bella," she spoke in a hushed whisper. "You don't prefer girls, do you? Because, it doesn't say anywhere where you can't ask another girl to the dance …"

Alice took my shocked silence as a confirmation.

"We might have to alter the plan slightly, but the principle is still the same."

"No, no, no, Alice," I said, reaching over to stop the scribbling she had begun on a white legal pad. "What made you think I was a … that I wanted to ask another girl?"

Alice was confused. "You were just so adamant that you weren't going to ask a guy. I thought maybe … Sorry. I tend to jump to conclusions. Forgive me?"

"It's ok. I just can't go to the dance." Taking a deep breath, I told her about the dance with Tobi. I confessed how scared I was to be shot down and even more frightened that someone would accept. To save my sanity, I just wouldn't be going to the dance.

"I understand, Bella," she said, patting my hand which rest upon the table. "But we'll all be there. Rosalie and Emmett. Jasper and I. We want you to come, too."

Edward's name had been conspicuously left out of her list. "Who is Edward going with?" I asked. I didn't know if I wanted to hear the answer but my mouth was moving before I could stop myself.

"I think Lauren asked him earlier today," she said, thinking. "He turned her down though. Edward is a man of discerning taste," she finished with a wink. What did that mean?

"Bella, listen. Think it over. Rose and I would love to see you there. I know the boys would, too." The dismissal bell rang and Alice "helped" me to my truck. Next to his silvery Volvo, Edward waved and Alice bounced away from me to meet him.

Just as I was pulling myself into my truck's cab, I heard Alice yell. "Think about it Bella! I'm serious."

I drove home thinking about my talk with Alice. She had said that I would really enjoy myself at the dance. I didn't know if there were circumstances under which I would enjoy myself at a school dance. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I could actually picture myself at a dance having fun. It all depended on how much gumption I could must before the end of the week.

_Maybe … just maybe …_ I thought. _It could work._


	14. Monster Movie Marathon

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, the characters aren't mine … please don't sue. **

_I drove home thinking about my talk with Alice. She had said that I would really enjoy myself at the dance. I didn't know if there were circumstances under which I would enjoy myself at a school dance. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I could actually picture myself at a dance having fun. It all depended on how much gumption I could must before the end of the week._

Maybe … just maybe … _I thought_. It could work.

* * *

Bella's Point of View

When I got home, I found Charlie in the living room. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. What was he doing home? He was wrapped tight in a quilt and dozing while the Cartoon Network hummed in the background.

_Ed, Edd, and Eddie? _Charlie had such strange preferences when it came to cartoons. Personally, I was a classicist. I loved _The Animaniacs._ I'd even bought the DVD set when the came out a few months ago.

Charlie must be sick if he's asleep on the couch in the middle of a work day. I grabbed a box of tissues from under the kitchen sink and put them next to the snoring Charlie. He had already grabbed the carton of OJ, a glass, and an empty, bag-less trash can, which I assumed he'd be using to get sick in.

I couldn't be around him if he was going to be throwing up all night, so I grabbed my bag, truck keys, and new cell phone before heading out the door. I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't want to be around when Charlie started, or continued, being sick.

I drove toward Route 101, not knowing where I was going, until I saw a sign for Port Angeles. Perfect! I'd drive to Port Angeles, grab some dinner and hold up in a library or a café for a while. Surely, if I got home late enough, Charlie would be sound asleep in his bed and I wouldn't have to hear him retching. For me, the sound of someone being sick was second to the smell of blood. I just couldn't take it.

I had never been to Port Angeles by myself. Alice drove the other day and Charlie drove when I was younger, obviously, because I didn't have a driver's license. I was lucky, though, and I found a parking spot right off the main row of shops.

I walked down the street of stores as leisurely as I could. I hated how people in the movies or in commercials could saunter around towns just enjoying themselves. My goal in life was get from point A to point B without tripping, falling into something, or making a fool of myself. Even taking this "leisurely" walk through Port Angeles was something that I had to think about. I concentrated on my footfalls and the way my hands swayed at my side. _Is this how someone would stroll if they were enjoying themselves? _Why did I even bother?

I spied the hanging sign for the Starbucks from across the street, but as I drew closer, I saw that the inside was packed. There were a few small spots free at the counter top and a chair, here and there at occupied tables, were vacant. But, there were no spaces that I could spread my books out on or even a place I could throw myself in and just read a novel. I couldn't imagine getting relaxed in there.

Looking up and down the block, I searched for someplace else to go. There was an Italian restaurant about a quarter of a mile north of the Starbucks and a movie theatre to the south. I knew I had thirty dollars in my pocket, so I headed for the movie. _I could kill two and a half hours_, I thought with pleasure. A quiet place I could lock myself in the dark and not have to worry about the people around me.

I walked with revived pep in my step. Darkness had pulled itself over the sky since I reached Port Angeles. I tapped the side of the silver phone and the LED display read 6:24. I had a couple minutes to get to the theatre, make a discussion about a movie, and grab some popcorn before the previews began.

Small boutiques lined the street to the theatre. I walked silently on to the Cineplex as cars drove down the busy road. I hardly noticed the retail stores except for one that just happened to turn off the main lights as I was passing. The only illumination in the building was directly behind the window display. Propped high on mannequins sat three gorgeous dresses.

The dress on the far right was peach in color with tiny rhinestones along the bodice in a star burst pattern and an empire waist. The dress in the center of the display was neon green. The bodice was tight and the skirt was exaggerated with shreds of ribboned material that trailed around the hemline.

The third dress sat demurely in back of the two more glamorous models. It was cornflower blue with a deep chocolate sash. The strapless dress was knee-length and sported an empire waist. I was in love. I still wasn't sure if I was going to the Sadie Hawkins dance but, on the off chance I did get up the courage to ask … well, if I could find a date, I knew where to get my dress. A pair of stunning brown ballet flats with ties that elongated the look of the mannequin's leg brought the whole ensemble together.

I couldn't tear my eyes from the display until I heard a group of middle-schoolers pass behind me, no doubt also headed for the theatre. Nothing was playing at the theatre except a marathon of B-movie horror flicks. For ten bucks, I could watch terrible zombie and swamp monster movies until three in the morning. All I needed was a bag of popcorn, some Swedish Fish, and a coke.

I found my way to theatre 8, where plush leather director chairs awaited me. Much to my pleasure only a few people sat in the very front, craning their necks skyward to see the screen, and one lone figure in the back.

The first movie, a campy version of Frankenstein, began and I dug into my bag of popcorn. An hour and a half, later I was hysterically laughing at the death of Frankenstein's monster. I mean really, I could see the actor's face under his monster mask and, twice, the boom floated into view. _Who edits these things_, I thought.

A five minute intermission was announced on the screen and I took the opportunity to stand and stretch my arms. Maybe, I'd catch one more before going home to check on Charlie.

The group in the front stood and one female's voice spoke clearer than the rest. "I can't believe I've been here since noon," she paused, pulling a sweater on over her head. "I've gotta get going. Frank's gonna have a conniption if I don't make my shift."

A chorus of "goodbyes" echoed around the spacious room as the group departed. I made my way to the end of the aisle, where I left a scarf as a marker for my row, and out to the lobby for a bathroom break.

Making my way back to theatre 8, I noticed that they had dimmed the house lights already. With the group down front gone, I felt a little lonely. It would be just me and the person in the back. Looking for his or her silhouette as I entered the back doors, I noticed that they, too, were absent. _Great_, I thought. _Scary movies and me all by myself._

I wondered if I could find my scarf or if I'd have to wait until the next intermission to find my aisle. Wandering down the center path, I saw the scarf Renee had insisted I would need living outside of the desert heat of Phoenix.

The seat where I had been enjoying Frankenstein was occupied by a figure. "Excuse me, you're in my seat," I seat, putting my hands on my hips. Defiance flared in my eyes and the figure stood, righting himself. Taking in the man's height and stance, I gasped when the light from the screen hit the person's face.

"I beg your forgiveness," his voice asked.

"Edward?" I returned, staring at the flash of bronze hair illuminated in the light of the movie screen.

"Hello, again, Bella. I see your ankle has healed," he finished with a smirk. He took my hand and the current of electricity which called like a familiar beacon buzzed on my palm. "Please, take my seat."

"**My **seat," I reminded him.

He smiled and allowed me to take the seat back. "May I sit with you? I was getting bored in the back until I noticed you were here." He stood awkwardly, shifting his weight on the balls of his feet.

"Sit," I said, pointing to the seat next to mine. "Fan of monsters?" I asked, nodding my head to draw his attention back to the new movie beginning on the big screen in front of us.

"Not really," his tone changed. What was that? Anger? Disgust? Pity? For me?

"Hmm, why come to a monster movie marathon, then?" I asked. His eyes were trained on the screen in front of us like it held the clues to a mystery.

"I would rather be here, than at home," he confessed, folding his hands in his lap.

"Being alone at the movies is better than being at home?"

"I find it better to be alone here than being alone in a house full of people," he bristled. His forehead creased and pain crossed his eyes. "But, every once in a while, something good comes of it," he finished, a smile crossing his lips.

We sat in silence, watching _Nosferatu_, a grainy black and white Dracula film from the silent movie era. Occasionally, I heard Edward, beside me, choking back a laugh. What was he laughing at? The vampire, Nosferatu, was running away from a window pane where bright sun light poured in.

The light in the theatre came up once more and I stood to gather my stuff. "Leaving so soon?" he asked handing me my school bag from the sticky movie theatre floor.

"Yeah, Charlie's sick and I should go back and check on him." I hoped snotty tissues and a used garbage can didn't wait for me. "Are you going to stick around for the next movie? I think it was a werewolf flick."

His soft topaz eyes grimaced. "No, I have never really appreciated the subtly of werewolves. May I walk you to your vehicle?"

I love the chivalry of Edward's actions. Thinking about it as we exited the theatre lobby back into the cold streets of Port Angeles, Edward reminded me of a true gentleman right out of a Jane Austen book. He carried my bag, offered me his hand in assistance, and gave me a companion to lunch with. Even his speech pattern was like he come from another country and English might not have been his first language. Subtly, it was different, more refined, and lyrical.

We passed the shops that I had loitered in front of before and my eye tracked to the same cornflower blue dress. I touched the glass of the store front, allowing my fingers to graze along the window pane until we passed by. With a few admonishments from Edward, I started my truck and threw my back pack inside.

"Are you sure that you would not like a ride home? This truck is …" he paused. "It just seems like it may have seen better days."

"Stop making fun of my truck," I scolded. I thanked Edward again for walking me back and he closed my door.

"Please call me when you are safely at home," he asked of me.

"I will, Edward. Bye!" I happily waved to him, trying to permanently mark his brilliant smile in my brain.

I drove home from Port Angeles, stopping at a McDonalds to pick up a couple of burgers for dinner and a 20 piece chicken McNuggets for Charlie to eat when, or if, he was ready. Renee would have screamed at me if she could have seen me driving and eating. It was her steadfast resolution that meals were to be eaten sitting in front of a table, not in the car on the go. After the first burger, my stomach made a funny gurgle and I decided to hold off on finishing the rest of my dinner.

By the time I made it back to Forks, my stomach was rolling. I wasn't sure I would make it home before something happened. My stomach cramped violently and my chest burned. I ran into the house dropped my bag and sprinted up the stairs. I had to step over Charlie sleeping on the bathroom floor to get to the toilet. I heard him grumble that he was going to bed and that he hoped I felt better.

I was so sick that I didn't remember dragging myself back to my bed room. Nothing was right and I didn't think I'd ever feel good again.

I lay in a stupor hanging off my bed when I felt cold hands pull back the hair on my forehead and pull me back to a more comfortable position. I whined and protested, but couldn't understand what was going on, no matter how hard I tried. "Just sleep, Bella. You'll feel better in a while," a voice soothed. I tried to place it but the thick fog pulled back in around my brain and I feel deep into a fitful slumber.

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**AN: If you want to see a picture of the dress, I'll put it in my profile.**


	15. Sick Day

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, the characters aren't mine … please don't sue. **

_I lay in a stupor, hanging off my bed, when I felt cold hands pull back the hair on my forehead and pull me back to a more comfortable position. I whined and protested, but couldn't understand what was going on, no matter how hard I tried. "Just sleep, Bella. You'll feel better in a while," a voice soothed. I tried to place it, but the thick fog pulled back in around my brain and I feel deep into a fitful slumber._

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**Bella's Point of View**

My head ached like I had spent the night rolling around in a dryer. Stupid McDonalds. Stupid Charlie. I didn't know who or what had gotten me sick, but I was pretty sure I was dying. Even sick, Charlie had taken the time to make me a cold compress for my head and back. I should definitely return the favor and make him some soup today.

I was freezing cold, but I knew that I couldn't miss school. _What if I was really sick?_ I didn't want to throw up in the middle of class or at the lunch table. That was just more humiliation that I didn't need right now. I shook Charlie awake.

"Dad, I need you to call me into school," I asked, my tongue thick and heavy.

"Why?" he shot back. His eyes looked heavy and lidded with fatigue and illness. Puffy gray circles had formed above his cheek bones and his skin had taken on a pale sheen of sweat.

"I'm sick," I croaked as if the answer wasn't obvious.

"Huh? Really?" he said, turning in his bed to look me over.

"Yeah. You knew. You gave me that cold pack during the night."

"Bells," he said, interrupted by coughs. "Bells, I've been asleep since four o'clock in the afternoon. I didn't even hear you come in."

"Oh." Maybe I was imagining the cold relief I felt in the middle of the night or the water someone had left for me to drink. I rushed back into my room to look for a glass or any evidence that Charlie had been in my room during my slumber. Nothing. No tissues or empty glasses of water or even a cloth that could have explained my mysterious respite from the burning pain in my head.

I grabbed the phone in the hall and called the school. "Hi Mrs. Cope. This is Bella Swan. I won't be in today. The Chief and I are under the weather."

Mrs. Cope wished me better health and hung up. I called the dispatcher at the police station and informed them that Charlie was staying in bed today, per my orders. "He doesn't have meetings or anything he needs to be in for today, does he?" I asked before hanging up.

"Nothing that can't be rescheduled, Isabella. Thanks for making him stay home. He looked like death yesterday," the dispatcher announced. "You're a good influence on him. I can't remember the last time that he took a day off, not even when he had his appendix out."

She laughed and hung up. Silly Charlie, always has to be the big bad police chief. All it takes is one little flu-ish bug to level the playing field.

I hung up the phone and hopped in the shower, hoping that a little hot water and a good scrubbing would take away some of the fuzz I felt like I was encased in. The water was fresh and cool. It felt fantastic against my skin. Some of the clouds left my mind, but I still ached all over. Luckily, I did laundry over the weekend and there was a pile of clean tank tops and pajama bottoms waiting for me in my drawers.

I slunk into bed and reached for my iPod. Music would soothe the beast in my head. Or at least lull it into a false sense of security where the Advil would slowly kill it. I didn't remember changing all the music on my iPod, but all I could find was classical. _Meh_, I thought. _It's much better than rock when your head feels like it's going to explode!_

Ravel's Bolero began as I tucked my feet down deep in my comforter. The warmth of the fleece sheets was oppressive, but, on the off chance I caught what Charlie had, I wanted to sweat it out. I pulled the comforter around my chest and propped myself up with a pillow.

The melody began. Soft and sweet calling in a clarinet. It made me think of floating in the tub or in the pool Renee put in when she and Phil began dating. A snare drum elegantly tapped out the beat. Soon enough, the bassoon and an E-flat clarinet picked up the melody. Slowly getting louder, the orchestra began to soar in my ears. In walked an oboe d'amore, trumpet, and a saxophone.

After long enough, the horn and trombone made their appearances. The piece had changed from a simple tune in C major to a harmony of the melody using diatonic chords. The years of playing the flute came in handy when I listened to classical music. I loved to pick out individual instruments. When Renee and I would listen to music in the car, we shared a personal joke of trying to be the first during a song to yell out "key change" when we heard one.

Rapidly, the accompaniment became thicker and louder as the entire orchestra united. Just before the end, I smiled when I heard the sudden change of key from C major to E major. When the rest of the percussion entered the fray, I knew that the end of the piece would be coming. Fifteen minutes from when the composition began, my eyes were dropping drowsily and I welcomed sleep.

The ring of the cell phone woke me from a dreamless sleep. "Hel ..." I stopped, clearing my scratchy throat. "Hello," I tried a second time, again croaking like a frog.

"Bella, I missed you in class today."

I shook my head to free some of the cobwebs. Was Edward calling me? To tell me he missed me? I still felt like I was waiting for the punch line of some cosmic joke.

"Bella?" Edward's voice prompted me out of my dream. "How are you?"

"I fell like someone dropped a piano on me. How are you? Did you stick around in Port Angeles, after I left?"

"No," his voice reminded me of the feeling of velvet rubbing against your skin. "I had some important things to take care of." He paused. "I hope I did not overstep my bounds, but I collected your work for the day."

The tears burgeoned in my eyes. No one, ever, remembered me, never mind consciously thought of me. To make sure I wasn't missing something. To help me. Edward's simple action of making sure I got my homework for the night result in me blubbering like a baby.

"Would you like me to bring it to you?" Edward asked.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," I answered. "You can leave it on the porch railing. I don't want you getting what I have. Charlie's sick, too."

"Alright, if that's what you wish," Edward answered, disappointed. "I'll see you in a little bit."

"Bye," I answered. Hanging up the phone, I made way down stairs. It was getting dark outside and I couldn't remember eating today.

Lucky Charms or Cheerios? I couldn't decided so I had a small bowl of Lucky Charms and Cheerio goodness. Sugar. Just what I needed after being sick all night. Speaking of which, I hadn't bothered looking to see if I had thrown up on my bed sheets or the pajamas I was wearing yesterday. I'd have to check before falling asleep again. I don't think two day old vomit would smell too good.

I heard the crunch of car tires on the unpaved driveway leading up to our house. Edward's Volvo stood out in perfect relief from the snowy trees beyond. He stepped out of the drivers' side door and reached back in for something. _He's got the cutest …_, I thought before stopping myself. I would not think about my friend's posterior like that. Bad Bella!

Finished collecting my books, Edward walked to the house and put my books on the railing. Noticing me inside the house, he waved. "I hope you feel better!" he yelled so I could hear him inside my self-imposed quarantine. "Alice asked me to give you these," he finished putting a box of Vick's scents tissues on top of the books.

"Thank you."

"Until later," he said waving.

I watched his car drive away and waited a few minutes until I was sure he was gone. Slipping outside into the chilly night air, I grabbed the pile of books and the box of tissues. Turning back to the house, I was abruptly stopped by something pulling my waist.

I screamed. I frantically swung around trying to figure out what was happening. Flailing my arms, I crashed into a massive, rock hard chest. "OUCH!" I howled, almost slipping off the steps of the porch.

"Bella, please, calm down. I did not mean to scare you. I just wanted to surprise you, that's all," a voice plead behind me. "If you promise to stop squirming, I will release you."

"Edward?" He released the hand I had used to try to pummel him, but did not move his other arm from my waist. "I watched you leave."

I scanned the road and driveway for his car. "How did you get back here?"

His musical laughter rang through the trees. "I parked just out of view and ran into the woods. It was a simple matter of sneaking around to the back of your house. Then, I waited for you to come out." He looked so smug and satisfied with himself.

"Here's a better question: WHY?" I shouted at him. "Why did you come back and scare the bejesus out of me? Why did you come if you know I'm sick?"

"Catching something from you is a risk that I am prepared to take," he said, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "I brought another present."

It felt so odd being mere inches from him. I didn't know how to react. Should I lean in, allow my skin to touch his and flirt like Cosmo said I should? Should I try to take a step back and give him the space I thought he deserved? "What? The tissues and homework weren't enough?"

His eyes lit up. "I made you soup," he admitted, sheepishly, before producing a Tupperware container filled with what looked to be chicken noodle soup.

"Since you've already been exposed, would you like to come in?" I asked, almost hoping he had to go somewhere.

"I would like that," he smirked. "Would you like my jacket?" he asked, freeing my waist as he began to free his arms from the sleeves.

"Why would I … OH HELL!" I realized at that second that I was standing outside in the chill Washington winter air in nothing, but pajama bottoms and a flimsy tank top, meager inches from the Adonis that was Edward Cullen. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," I screeched, grabbing his coat and running into the house.

Why? What had I done in my life to bring this kind of degradation on myself? Perfect Edward Cullen had just seen me in a tank top. Not even Charlie had seen me in one. Would he tell everyone at school what I looked like? Would he … Oh, God.

I couldn't stop the tears as I collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table. I tried to hide myself like an ostrich in the sand. Slowly, almost soundlessly, the backdoor opened and a jacketless Edward crept into the room. I felt his hands on my shoulders before I saw him.

"Bella, I am so sorry," he said, trying to coax my face from beneath my arms. "Do you not like chicken soup? I could have brought tomato, also. I should have brought both." I heard him mutter the last statement under his breath and it made me laugh. Taking heart from my momentary lapse in tears, Edward pulled my chin up and forced me to look him in the eyes.

"I can go get the tomato soup, if that will make things better?" He was sincere. He thought I was crying because he had brought the wrong soup. How ungrateful I must look. I couldn't help myself. I stood and threw my arms around him. Pulling him into me.

He stood momentarily stunned. I'm sure he didn't except that. Girls and their hormones, right? But I knew. I needed him. I needed his friendship. "Edward," I said into his well muscled chest. "Thank you for the soup, it's fantastic. The tissues, the homework. Everything." And without warning, I burst into tears again.

I felt Edward slip his arms around me and lift me up. Oh no, here we go, again. But, then he put me down and I realized I was sitting on the couch. Edward had sat me done on the tattered monstrosity, that Charlie practically lived on during baseball season, while he took a foot or so away. He bounced twice on the creaky springs before announcing, "comfy" with a smile.

"Bella, why is it that every time you and I have more than five minutes to spend together I do something to upset you?" Was he serious? Did he think my emotional outbursts were his doing?

"NO!" I practically shouted at him. "It's …" I paused looking for the words. "I've got baggage. I just didn't realize how much," I confessed, trying to focus on anything in the room. Anything other than his face.

"We all have baggage." I scoffed at his words. "I am sorry. Am I amusing you?"

"No, it's just … I don't usually think of people like you as having baggage."

"People like me? Not having baggage?" he pouted, mocking my words. "If you only knew."

"Are we playing one ups here?" I asked. His confused expression allowed me to continue. "I say one thing, and you try to better it. Ok, like if I said 'I had my tonsils removed when I was five' and you said 'I spent a week in the hospital with the flu.' Then, I might counter with 'I was hit by a car and spent three months in a full body cast'."

"Did you?" he asked with unaffected sincerity in his eyes.

"No," I laughed. "That's 'One Ups'. I've got a better one than you and so on and so on."

"I did not mean to try to one up you, Bella," he said. "I know you _think_ you have baggage but …"

I couldn't help but interrupt him. "Edward, do me a favor. What do you see when you look at me? Be honest and know if you haven't said it out loud, someone else surely has at some point."

Edward clasped his hand on his lap before continuing. "Honestly?"

I nodded my head. I'm not sure where I was going with this, but I had to know why he wanted to be my friend, be seen with me in public. Especially when he was a god amongst boys and I was … what had Lauren called me? … 'watered down grace juice'."

"I see someone who has never seen what she truly looks like."

I laughed. "Edward, no. Be serious. Here, I'll do you." I thought for a moment, sizing him up. "Where to start?"

"Bella, I feel like a piece of meat," Edward said with a chuckle.

"Stand," I ordered. He stood and spun for a moment like a model at the end of a runway and my bold tongue got the better of me. "Well, you're flawless." He laughed as I blushed. "No really, you're skin, your hair, your eyes …" I paused, allowing my eyes to lock with his. I could have sat there all day.

I had to shake the fuzz from my brain before I continued. "You have to be the smartest person I've met in Forks," I admitted.

"Was that a compliment?" he asked.

"Alright, you are probably the smartest person I've ever met," I paused. "Other than me, of course."

"Of course," he agreed. "Continue?"

"Edward," I didn't know if I should finish. My voice seemed to fail, fleetingly, and the last sentence came out in a whisper. "You're the whole package."

A twinge of a smile touched his passive expression. "Now … me."

"I thought I already told you. I see a woman who is beautiful, inside and out. I see a gentle soul," he said, I looked up to meet his gaze. I expected a blush. I would have been blushing if I was speaking.

"Most people have gentle souls, Edward!" I teased, laughing. He didn't even crack a smile. "Edward?"

"I do not believe that. After the things I have seen, the things I have done …" he trailed off. "Monsters do not have souls."

I was confused. What had he seen? What did he do? He thought he was a monster? "What?" I asked.

He broke my train of thought when he stood and walked into the kitchen, "do you want me to heat up your soup?"

"You can't change the subject," I said, following him to the table. He had the lid of the Tupperware container. "What do you mean?"

When he reached the microwave, he stopped and put the container on the counter. Gripping the edge of the marble-esque laminate, I could hear him grind his teeth. "Bella," he began, stopping again. "It is not something I usually speak of in front of ladies."

I made a show of looking around. "No ladies here," I winked. "Just us, chickens."

A steadfast stare took me back to the conversation. "Friends?" I reminded him, giving him my hand to shake like he had offered me just a week ago. A comforting buzz radiated from our touch.

As if in thought, Edward paused. "I think I hear Charlie walking around in his room. Want to continue this upstairs?"

I nodded and he followed me to my room. He motioned for me to take a seat on my bed. I pulled the comforter up and sat by the head board. Still wearing his jacket, I inhaled the sweet smell of his cologne.

Edward sat on the foot of the bed. I wondered why he didn't sit in the rocking chair if he wanted that much distance between us.

"Bella, remember you asked about my condition?" he said, pausing for a moment to wait for my nod. He took a deep breath and hung his head. "I have never told anyone about it before but I find you so disarming. Alice thinks I might be losing my mind..."

His deep gold eyes swirled as they met my dirty brown ones. I couldn't tear myself away. He had a soul. It was beautiful. Just like he said I couldn't see myself, I knew he couldn't see how magnificent he was.

"Bella, can you keep a secret?"


	16. Revelations

**Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight and all characters found within. I'm merely playing in her shadow.**

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**Edward's Point of View**

Boredom. Unexplainable, unending, excruciatingly painful boredom.

I envied "normal" teenagers. Even in their mundane and mindless existences, they had something to look forward too. Homework, chores, baseball games. Their worlds were open and ready for them. Their only boundary was a tiny time limit restriction. I, on the other hand, had infinite time to fretter away.

Schoolwork, homework, any "after-classes" activity had been completed a hundred times in a thousand different ways. The only thing that ever changed was the faces around me. Sometimes, I would jump in my car and drive. Just drive until I reached the Atlantic. Or, I might head south until the dirt roads of Chile took me to the Scotia Sea.

Diversions. Life was an endless array of distractions.

I had been content to watch Carlisle and Esme enjoy their eternal life together, in the beginning. But, like a rebellious adolescent, I fled.

Always the maternal figure, Esme accepted me back with open arms when I returned. I could feel Carlisle's disappointment until I asked for his clemency, which he gave without a second thought.

It was not long before we returned from our tour of Europe that my attitude turned morose, once more. Carlisle thought I might need a companion as he had Esme. I fought his suggestions until one night he brought home the beautiful Rosalie. Beaten bloody and left for dead, Carlisle changed her.

But, it was not to be. Neither Rosalie nor I took to one another. Like oil and water, we were compatible, but not as far as love was concerned.

Love would rear her ugly head, though. Hunting in the back woods of Tennessee, Rosalie found a mountain boy. He had been mauled by a bear, his body rent open. Running like a woman possessed, Rosalie was able to get him back to Carlisle before he took his final breath.

Emmett's addition to the family brought with it both a new light and further darkness. Once again, the family had paired off with a single exception.

Years passed. As they always do.

Early in 1950, Jasper and Alice joined our family. Life has not changed much in the half century since. As the largest group of vampires, save the Volturi, a ruthless group of vampires who have taken the position of ruling class, we have kept a relatively low profile. Moving every few years, we have all seen the world through tainted amber eyes.

Until, I met her.

There was something about this girl, fragile and breakable, that bothered me to my core. I watched her recoil from the touch of others. Her spirit winced deep inside her molten brown eyes when people would speak to her, as if already prepared for an onslaught.

She thought herself plain. More than plain. Ugly. I understood where her presumptions came from but I choose not to apply her faulty logic to this situation. Bella did look different from the other girls. That never bothered me. I was not one to judge on appearances.

My gift of telepathy allowed me to see the inner workings of those around me. It was a vapid pool of vanity and pride. But Bella, she was … silent. I found myself listening to her words instead of trying to read her thoughts. I read her moods not her mind. It was a beautiful silence when I was able to listen to her and her alone, without searching for ulterior motives.

Something had been stirring in me for days. I had to free myself from this weight, this pressure on my chest. Jumping in my car after school, I hit the road. Alice knew better than to bother me on days like today. All she could do was smile and ask me to keep safe.

I knew what she meant. Not 'keep yourself safe.' It was closer to 'be careful, Edward. We've come this far. Don't ruin it now.'

I drove until I saw the Cineplex sign screaming at me in Port Angeles. "All day monster movie marathon" it announced. "Just $10."

4:16 p.m. glared at me on the blue LCD on the dash of my Volvo. _Monster movies? How apropos._

I passed the concession stand where a pimply teenager lazily poured a bucket of liquid butter over the contents of a popcorn display. Sometimes just the thought of the food that humans ate really made me sick.

Another boy stood like a sentinel at the ticket collection gate. "Theatre 8," he said, bored, ripping my ticket in half.

_Even Mr. Perfect over there is alone_, I heard him think. Turning, I caught him watching me enter the theatre. _I wonder how much his jacket cost._

The theatre smelt like stale popcorn, melted chocolate and, possibly … beer? Alcohol. I did not doubt it. How else would a day of monster movies be fun for mere mortals? I could not help but chuckle. If they only knew what the life of a true monster was like.

Sitting in the back of the stadium seats, I looked for a seat which was not covered in an inch of artificial butter residue. The theatre was empty, save for a group of twenty-somethings in the front row. Five minds thinking about an exponential number of things. I caught a few thoughts before attempting to tune them out again. Student loans, a waitressing shift, a possible missed period, dinner in two hours with the new inlaws, zombies.

I liked the last mind, I had heard. At least, they were paying attention to the movie. Jerky movements brought a body oozing with blood into a small house on screen. Zombie movies were the pinnacle of monster flicks. I removed my leather jacket and placed it on my lap, afraid it might touch the grim covering every surface in the theatre.

Eventually, the zombie horde decimated the village and a sole survivor was found running through a wooded copse. The group down front did not move as an intermission was announced and a five minute countdown began on the screen.

I wasted the time staring at a poster of _Scarface_. I never really saw the attraction to the movie. Yet, even when it first came out, it seemed like it had captured the attention of every teenage boy. Even now, it seemed to be a cult classic in the eyes of college frat brothers and similar types.

The house lights dropped following the intermission and Dr. Frankenstein began work on his monster. Twenty minutes into the film, a clink of light flooded the back of the theatre. A figure was silhouetted in the glare from the lobby. Short and nondescript, the figure took a few tentative steps into the darkened room. I assumed it was a female from the tendrils of hair that flowed down her back.

I watched the girl walk down the large aisle of the movie theatre and take a seat smack in the middle, giving her a perfect view of the screen. She removed her jacket and scarf before diving into a bag of candy that she pulled from what looked to be a school bag.

It was then that the air conditioning chose to stir to life.

I had been watching the monster of Frankenstein yank free of its manacles when I was assaulted. Freesia. Almost as if it invaded in a fog, it pulled around me and sucked the light from my vision.

_She must be here_, my mind screamed.

Of course. The girl that walked in moments ago. It must be Bella.

My mind was blank. I wanted to jump from my seat and slip in beside her. Enjoy the movies together. Like friends. Like …

I gripped the seat beneath me to keep my feet from betraying me. I would not be tempted to her side. _Her friend, you are her friend_, I chanted to myself like a mantra.

After what seemed like hours of fighting with myself, I watched as Frankenstein's monster was trapped inside the castle. A village of men, women, and children threw torches into the building which burst into flame. I sighed, _poor monster_.

As soon as the house lights came up once more, I was out the door like a shot. Where would I go? Leaving the theatre looked like the only possibility.

As I stood thinking, the group of five from the front of the theatre walked around me. One woman, the waitress, I assumed, smirked at me. _Hey big boy, _her mind screamed. _I should get his number_. Side stepping her, I walked into the Men's restroom before she could get my attention.

Soon, her thoughts and the worried thoughts of her companions had left. I watched quickly out of the bathroom and headed back for the theatre. It was empty but I could still smell the heady aroma of freesia. Bella's jacket and scarf lay in a row half way down.

Without thinking, I headed straight for her seat. I sat in place, imagining she was next to me, watching the abominations that they called movies play across the screen. On her seat was her jacket. Scanning the back of the room, she still had not returned.

Unthinking, I brought her jacket to my nose and inhaled. Deep, heady and beautiful. I could imagine her face smiling.

I leaned back in her chair, still warm even without her presence, and shut my eyes.

"Excuse me, you're in my seat," a melodious voice sang very nearby. Bella stood a few feet from me with her hand propped against her hips. Even in the dark, I could see the anger in her eyes.

I stood and stepped away from her seat, "I beg your forgiveness."

I could hear her heart beat increase. "Edward?" she asked.

"Hello, again, Bella. I see your ankle has healed." Alice and Bella. What a team. I reached for her fair hand.

The electricity, that Carlisle had warned me about, accompanied our every touch. Over the passed week, I had taken the opportunity to think about the phenomenon. Carlisle had explained begun to explain the feelings that vampires feel when they are intimate with their mates, before I cut him off. I take pride in the knowledge that not once have I attempted to "interrupt" the thoughts of my siblings or parents while they are engaged with one another. I would have to figure out what the occurrence meant without further inquiry.

"Please, take my seat," I offered, allowing her to sit.

"My seat," she reprimanded. I could not help but smile. She was so full of life. So full of exuberance.

"May I sit with you? I was getting bored in the back until I noticed you were here." It was not completely a lie, only a half lie. I had been bored to the point of duress before Bella walked in to the theatre. Leaving out the desire to sit with her from the point she entered the movies, I knew was lying by omission.

"Sit," she said, pointing to the seat next to her. "Fan of monsters?"

She nodded her head to the new movie playing on the screen. "Not really," I answered, a little more tersely than I meant to. I wanted to scream, _I am a monster Bella. A horrible, hideous monster. Please, run from me because I am not sure I can run from you. I am just not sure anymore. _

Maybe she caught the fear in my voice because she had not stopped staring at me. Almost as if she were attempting to bore inside of my thoughts, she gazed at me, and our eyes connected.

I had to look away. Her fixed gaze was just too probative.

"Hmm, why come to a monster movie marathon, then?" she asked.

"I would rather be here, than at home," I confessed, refolding my hands on the jacket in my lap.

"Being alone at the movies is better than being at home?"

"I find it better to be alone here than being alone in a house full of people," I said. How could she understand my position? She was an only child, lonely must have been a common occurrence if her confessions of friendless times in Phoenix were true. How could I tell her that even though there were six other people in my house, I was alone? Truly alone? Would she understand even as I explained that I can hear the thoughts of other people that nothing they said mattered?

My head hurt. A thought crossed my mind then, in the silence of the movie theatre. "But, every once in a while, something good comes of it."

Here, I was with Bella, the first person since I became a vampire whose thoughts I could not read and I was complaining of loneliness. It dawned on me and I was content to just be. Content to just enjoy the movie and enjoy Bella's company. In this instant, alone with her and no one else, I was content.

Bella and I watched the terrible vampire film, _Nosferatu_. I almost could not contain my laughter when the ancient vampire, who apparently the spearhead of our race, ran from sunlight or was attacked with wooden crosses and garlic. Near the end, I watched Bella flinch, involuntarily, from the screen when the vampire was attacked. It made me wonder, who was she really flinching from?

When the movie ended, I watched her stand and stretch. She leaned over and her scent swirled around her. I spoke so that I would not have to think. "Leaving so soon?"

I stood and grabbed her bag from the floor. "Yeah, Charlie's sick and I should go back and check on him." She was leaving. "Are you going to stick around for the next movie? I think it was a werewolf flick."

It was my turn to cringe. "No, I have never really appreciated the subtly of werewolves," I said, trying not to spit out the last word. "May I walk you to your vehicle?"

She nodded her head and we walked out into the night air. She recoiled slightly when the wind picked up. She seemed lost in thought as we walked through the streets, empty as the human population of Port Angeles sat down for dinner.

Passing one store, I watched Bella's fingers draw themselves over the window pane. A dress shop. In the window stood three dresses. One peach, one bright green, and one blue. Her eyes stopped momentarily on the blue dress tucked behind the other two before we moved on.

Her truck was parked a few hundred yards from a busy intersection. I offered her my hand as she hoisted her frame into her truck. "Are you sure that you would not like a ride home? This truck is …" _a death trap_, I thought, silently finishing my sentence. "It just seems like it may have seen better days."

"Stop making fun of my truck," she said with a scowl. She thanked me with a heartfelt smile before I closed the door for her.

"Please call me when you are safely at home," I asked when she rolled the window down a smidgen.

"I will, Edward. Bye!" she said and waved. She pulled her truck onto the street and made her way out of Port Angeles towards Forks. I walked to my own Volvo on an adjacent street and headed in the same directions.

Soon enough, I was three cars behind her on Route 101. Without realizing it, I had made a plan to follow her home and make sure she was safe before heading to my own house.

She stopped at a McDonalds pausing to go through the drive thru. I imagined her eating a burger as she drove. Two bags had been passed out the window to her, I was sure she had picked something up for Charlie too. I smiled. She was so kind.

As our cars approached Forks, her speed increased. Afraid she might have spotted my car behind her, I pulled off the accelerator briefly, allowing her to gain more distance between our vehicles. Turning down her street, I watched as she hopped from her car and sprinted into her house.

What was happening? Was she ok? I stopped the car behind a thicket of trees and hit the ground running. Approaching the house, I searched for Charlie's thoughts. _Cold floor … cold floor … uuuuuuuuugh, _was all I could hear. Then, a retching sound burst through.

Bella was sick. Charlie's thoughts still spun in a circle, praising the coldness of the floor before returning to how bad his head hurt. So, it must have been Bella who had just thrown up.

Helplessly standing outside of their house, I frantically tried to think of a reason I might have happened on their house in the middle of the night. And, why I should be allowed to stay and help the Swans. The pain and confusion that swirled in my head was only amplified when I thought about Bella. I listened as I heard her become sick, again, and, gaspingly, struggle to her room.

Her bed springs protested loudly when she must have thrown herself down. Thinking about her, vulnerable and weak, I acted against my better judgment. Entering her bedroom through the window that I had been using for the passed week, I saw Bella lying across her bed, hanging over the side.

She whimpered as my hands touched her forehead. She felt like she was on fire. All I could think to do was pull the loose hair from her face into a pony tail. I had hoped this would make her more comfortable, but she whined and put out her hands, as if to stop me. I was not sure she understood what was happening.

I felt so powerless. Bella was fighting an internal battle with her body and I could do nothing to make the pain cease. The only thought that made sense was to pull her close to me and hold her there until the fight ended. "Just sleep, Bella. You'll feel better in a while," I said. My arms laced around her and she buried her face into my chest, just as she had done when she passed out.

Soon enough, she was deep in slumber. Throughout the night, I watched her, making sure her body's temperature did not rise any further. Cold compresses from the bathroom and ice water helped when my own touch made her shiver too violently. Nearing dawn, a sheen of sweat glistened across her upper lip and forehead.

Her fever had broken. I smiled and kissed the shimmer from her brow.

Knowing she would be fine, I headed for the house.

On Tuesday, I hoped she would stay home to rest herself but was saddened when she was not at lunch or in Biology class. _If I was sick, what could someone do for me that would raise my spirits?_ It dawned on me. I would bring Bella her homework and some soup. The gesture would say "I thought about you today when you were not in school" and "please, feel better." Well, I hoped that is what it would convey.

I dialed her cell phone and patiently waited through a series of rings. No answer. I dialed again. _She must be asleep._ "Hel ..." a scratchy voice began. I could hear Bella clear her throat and try again, "Hello."

"Bella, I missed you in class today." The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. She did not respond. Had she heard me? "Bella? How are you?"

"I fell like someone dropped a piano on me. How are you? Did you stick around in Port Angeles, after I left?" She was concerned about me when she had spent a night in hell. I could not help but smile.

"No," I answered. "I had some important things to take care of."

_Like you_, my mind screamed.

I began to worry. Maybe she would not appreciate my gesture of friendship. Would she not like the soup? "I hope I did not overstep my bounds, but I collected your work for the day. Would you like me to bring it to you?" I asked.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," she answered. "You can leave it on the porch railing. I don't want you getting what I have. Charlie's sick, too." I almost laughed. A mere upset stomach could not hurt me.

She was serious and my spirits fell. "Alright, if that's what you wish," I answered. "I'll see you in a little bit."

Saying 'goodbye,' she hung up the phone and I headed for the kitchen. I grabbed a plastic container I had bought this afternoon and emptied the contents of a can of soup inside. I am sure that Bella would understand that canned soup was a lot better than tasting the concoction of a being that no longer understood, or could taste, the subtleties of human cuisine. I was in my car and heading to the Swan house within minutes.

Driving to Bella's, it struck me how I would get into the house. My tires crunched on the unpaved drive as I pulled up to Bella's home. Exiting the car, I reached back in for her books and the box of tissues that Alice had thrown to me as I left home. I walked to the porch and placed the pile of books and binders on the rail and searched the windows of the house for her face. In the window to the kitchen door, Bella smiled. "I hope you feel better!" I spoke loudly so she could hear me inside. "Alice asked me to give you these," I finished putting the box of tissues on top.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Until later," I finished with a wave. Step one of my plan was completed.

I drove to the grove of trees I parked in front of last night and left my car. Slipping through the trees as fast as I could, I made it back to Bella's house within a minute. At human speed, I walked slowly around the building to see Bella opening the door, books and tissues in hand.

Silently, I snuck up behind her and slipped my arm around her waist. She screamed shrilly right in my ear. Her arms flailed around and hit my chest.

"OUCH!" she howled. Losing her balance, I grabbed her before she fell from the porch.

"Bella, please, calm down. I did not mean to scare you. I just wanted to surprise you, that's all," I said. "If you promise to stop squirming, I will release you."

"Edward?" I released the hand she had struck me with. Confused, she muttered, "I watched you leave."

Staring at the driveway, she asked, "How did you get back here?"

I laughed. My plan had worked. "I parked just out of view and ran into the woods. It was a simple matter of sneaking around to the back of your house. Then, I waited for you to come out." I could not help but stare at her. Even sick, she seemed to shine from deep within.

"Here's a better question: WHY?" Bella shouted at me. "Why did you come back and scare the bejesus out of me? Why did you come if you know I'm sick?" Bejesus? That is a new word I had not heard before.

"Catching something from you is a risk that I am prepared to take," I said, smiling. I shifted the plastic container of soup behind my back. "I brought another present."

Bella looked skeptical. "What? The tissues and homework weren't enough?"

"I made you soup," I admitted, sheepishly. I showed her the container of soup. What if she thought I was weird?

"Since you've already been exposed, would you like to come in?" she asked.

"I would like that," I smiled. Her skin bristled in the cold wind that moved her hair in the most elegant way. I removed my arm from her waist and shimmed one arm free from my jacket "Would you like my jacket?" I asked.

"Why would I … OH HELL!" she yelled and grabbed the coat from my hands. "Oh no, oh no, oh no." I watched Bella dissolve in front of me. What had I done? Was she crying because of me?

I watched from the door frame as she pressed her head into her arms and hid from me. Soundless, I walked to her and put my hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

"Bella, I am so sorry," I said, trying to coax her face from beneath her arms. "Do you not like chicken soup? I could have brought tomato, also. I should have brought both." I muttered the last statement under my breath. Bella laughed. I tugged gently at her chin and forced her to look me in the eyes.

"I can go get the tomato soup, if that will make things better?" I could not think of another reason she might be so upset. If I could just make this right … Bella stood suddenly and threw her arms around me. She pulled hard and crashed into me.

Stronger than before, her scent spun around me like tendrils of vines. I was wrapped in a cocoon of freesia blossoms. I could not move. I did not think I wanted to, even if I could. _Breath out_, my brain screamed. I had to push her scent out. But I could not. The monster inside wanted something.

"Edward." I felt her words vibrate against my stone chest and the monster paused. "Thank you for the soup, it's fantastic. The tissues, the homework. Everything." Without warning, Bella burst into tears, once again.

The monster screamed for me to bite her. Drink her. Feed. But deeper down, growing louder like a truck thundering down the road, something screamed _**"no!" **_I slipped my arms around Bella and lifted her to me. Walking to the couch in her living room, I put her down as carefully as could be. The couch protested against my own weight and I bounced again. I raised my eyebrows and smiled. "Comfy," I declared.

"Bella, why is it that every time you and I have more than five minutes to spend together I do something to upset you?" I had to know what I had done to upset her.

"NO!" she nearly shouted at me. "It's … I've got baggage. I just didn't realize how much," she confessed, looking around the room. Could she not look at me? Was I that hideous? Maybe she already knew what a fiend I was.

"We all have baggage," I said under my breath. All I could think of was my 'teenage' when I defied Carlisle and Esme. She scoffed. Did she not believe I had issues from my past? "I am sorry. Am I amusing you?"

"No, it's just … I don't usually think of people like you as having baggage."

"People like me? Not having baggage?" I mocked. "If you only knew." _Murders. Blood. Vampires. No, Bella. I'm pure as the winter snow._

"Are we playing one ups here?" she asked. What was one ups?

She answered my unasked question. "I say one thing, and you try to better it. Ok, like if I said 'I had my tonsils removed when I was five' and you said 'I spent a week in the hospital with the flu.' Then, I might counter with 'I was hit by a car and spent three months in a full body cast'."

"Did you?" I asked. I wondered why did not have any scars.

"No," she laughed. "That's 'One Ups'. I've got a better one than you and so on and so on."

"I did not mean to try to one up you, Bella," I said. "I know you _think_ you have baggage but …"

She interrupted me. "Edward, do me a favor. What do you see when you look at me? Be honest and know if you haven't said it out loud, someone else surely has at some point."

I paused. Where was she going with this? Our conversation had diverged from its path. I clasped my hands before continuing. "Honestly?"

She nodded her head. Honesty, I could do. How much honestly though.

"I see someone who has never seen what she truly looks like." _Someone who is beautiful but is trapped by a misconception of herself_, I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to tell her that she was a beautiful person on the inside. She just could not see it.

She laughed. "Edward, no. Be serious. Here, I'll do you." She paused staring at me like she was buying a slab of meat from the butcher. "Where to start?"

"Bella, I feel like a piece of meat," I said, laughing..

"Stand," she ordered and I stood, spinning like Alice did to show off a new purchase.

"Well, you're flawless." Bella blushed and I laughed. Physically, most vampires were ravishing, I was no exception. Looking in the mirror, the face that looked back at me was not what I called beautiful. "No really, you're skin, your hair, your eyes …"

She paused and our eyes locked. I wanted to run to her and touch her skin in that instant. It was like the monster inside no longer existed. I waited to hear his demands but he was silent.

Her voice broke through my thoughts. "You have to be the smartest person I've met in Forks."

"Was that a compliment?" I asked, teasingly.

"Alright, you are probably the smartest person I've ever met," she paused. "Other than me, of course."

"Of course," I agreed. "Continue?"

"Edward," she looked hesitant. "You're the whole package," she whispered. If she knew what a hideous beast I was, she would never think these things of me.

She smiled, "Now … me."

It was my turn to make her see. She had tried to be honest with me, though her honesty was flaw "I thought I already told you. I see a woman who is beautiful, inside and out. I see a gentle soul," I said, almost embarrassed to admit I had thought about her this deeply.

"Most people have gentle souls, Edward!" she teased, laughing. How could she know? She never had to hear the horrible, awful things most people thought on a day to day basis. She has never seen … "Edward?"

"I do not believe that. After the things I have seen, the things I have done …" I trailed off. _If you knew what I was … _"Monsters do not have souls."

"What?" she asked.

I stood abruptly. I could not tell her of these things. I headed for the kitchen. "Do you want me to heat up your soup?"

"You can't change the subject," she said, following me to the table. I pulled the lid from the container and walked towards the microwave. "What do you mean?" she asked, more insistently.

I stopped at the counter and put the container down. I grab the edge of the faux marble counter and ground my teeth. I would not tell her of these things. I would not sully her mind with the disgusting, vile images I had to live with on a daily basis. "Bella," I began and stopped. "It is not something I usually speak of in front of ladies."

She looked around the kitchen and lifted her arms. "No ladies here," she said with a wink. "Just us, chickens."

I would not tell her.

"Friends?" she asked, offering me her hand. She was adamantly batting her brown lashes at me. _Oh Alice,_ I thought. _You could have warned me._ I took her hand and a comforting buzz radiated from our touch. Bella knew just how to push through my resolve.

Where was Charlie? I did not want him to overhear this conversation. I am not sure if I even wanted to have the conversation.

His thoughts came loud and clear as I searched for them. _"Maybe, I should take a shower. The hot water might do some good."_

"I think I hear Charlie walking around in his room. Want to continue this upstairs?" I asked. She nodded and I followed her to her room.

I motioned for her to take a seat on her bed. I watched as she pulled the comforter up and sat by the head board.

I sat on the foot of the bed. I did not want to frighten her by sitting so close. I needed to give her the opportunity for space to run if she needed it. My family was going to kill me.

And yet, I did not care.

"Bella, remember you asked about my condition?" I said. I took a deep breath and hung my head. "I have never told anyone about it before but I find you so disarming. Alice thinks I might be losing my mind..."

I could not do it. I could not tell her. I lifted my head to find her staring at me. My determination broke.

"Bella, can you keep a secret?"

She nodded. Her eyes never left mine. How could I do this to her? "No, nevermind," I paused and she moved closer to me.

Her hand reached for mine. I flinched back. But she was determined and grabbed for me. "Edward, you can tell me anything. I know this sounds stupid, but I feel like I've known you forever. If I can't be completely honest with you, I don't know who I can be …" her voice faltered.

I stood and walked to the window. The wind swept trees moved in the distance. "I am a monster, Bella," I confessed.

"A monster," she repeated and guffawed. "You're the furthest from a monster I've ever known." She stood from the bed and made to move closer.

"Bella, don't," I said, raising my hand to her. She halted. I was about to lose my friend but I could not stop myself. "You want the truth?"

She nodded.

I inhaled breath that I had not needed in eighty odd years. "I'm a vampire," I spat out.

She did not move. She did not inhale. I watched as the cogs in her head turned. "Are you joking?" she asked, looking at me askance. Slowly, I shook my head. Realization dawned on her face.

"Why am I alive?"

"Honestly, I do not know," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Do you want to kill me? Or," she paused, "feed on me?"

"I do. Or rather, I did," I confessed. I had to turn my back on her. I could not stand to see her face any longer. I did not want to see what my admission meant to her.

"Why didn't you?" I heard her move behind me.

"I fought the need." I waited for the sound of her feet running or the door slamming.

Surprisingly, I felt her hand on my back. I turned to find her inches from me. "Bella?"

Her warm hand moved as I turned but never lost contact with my body. Why was she so close to me when I had just told her … when she knew what I was?

She did not move. She did not answer. The only movement I could detect was her eyes. Her eyes slowly swept me from head to toe and then back again. Finally, they came to rest on my own eyes. Almost as if she were piercing me, her eyes bore into my own.

"I don't care," she finally said.

"What do you mean that you do not care?" I asked incredulous.

"I don't care," she paused, looking at me again. "Edward, are you the same person I met in Biology? Are you the same person that didn't let the class see me cry? Or who carried me.." she stared sobbing. "Carried me to the hospital? Who brought me my things from school?"

Tears ran down her face. "Yes," I admitted.

"You're the only true friend I've ever had," she said, her body shaking. Was it fear? "How can you look passed this," she asked pointing to her body, "and not except me to look passed something in you?"

"This is a big deal to over look," I said and hung my head. Her arms circled me. Why was she doing this?

"I told you: I don't care," her eyes pierced me again. "If you still want me, my friendship will always be there."

My arms rapped around her. How could I say no to her?

"Of course, I do." I felt her nuzzle into my chest.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For trusting me." Her eyes bore into me for the umpteenth time that night. "Thank you."

I could not help myself. I kissed the top of her head. My entire body tingled with her touch. The electricity, that shocked us when we touched hands, intensified and I felt it radiate down my spine.

Bella sat with me all night, talking about everything, anything, nothing. I could not help but wonder what was going through her head. Finally, around midnight, she began to yawn. "It has been a long night and I think you deserve a rest," I told her pushing her dragging body towards her bed.

She nodded, as if in a daze. "I shall show myself out. Good night, Bella," I said, kissing her forehead. A smile broke on her lips. I love it when she smiles.

"Edward," she said and I paused. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," I smirked.

"For how long?"

Perceptive Bella, very perceptive. "Since 1918," I answered. Bella smiled and tucked herself into bed.

"Night," she said and I kissed her hand.

"See you in the morning," I said and ran to my car. If I knew Alice, she had already told the family what I did. But, to tell the truth, I did not care. Bella was still my friend and my sanity was intact.

I was on top of the world.

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**You know the drill. Please don't make me beg.**


	17. Wildflowers

**Author's Note: **

**To reiterate, Bella is large. I'm sorry if you think she isn't pretty. I'm sorry if you don't think she is healthy. ****If one of the lessons I hoped that someone might walk away with after reading this story is that everyone is beautiful no matter what they look like, why would I change Bella just because you ask me to? A huge population of today's youth is overweight. I'm not condoning this but I feel compelled to give them a voice. Weight-ism (or mocking/making fun of/discriminating against a person because of their weight/size) is the last acceptable form of discrimination. Maybe we, as the enlightened generation we are, should be the ones that change that. **

**Thanks for listening to my rant.**

**- Niamh**

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**Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns ****Twilight**** and all characters found within. I'm merely playing in her shadow.**

**Previously:**

"_Edward," she said and I paused. "How old are you?"_

"_Seventeen," I smirked._

"_For how long?"_

_Perceptive Bella, very perceptive. "Since 1918," I answered. Bella smiled and tucked herself into bed._

"_Night," she said and I kissed her hand._

"_See you in the morning," I said and ran to my car. If I knew Alice, she had already told the family what I did. But, to tell the truth, I did not care. Bella was still my friend and my sanity was intact._

_I was on top of the world._

**

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**Bella's Point of View**

I awoke Wednesday morning as if from a dream. Maybe everything that happened yesterday was part of my imagination. Possibly, the whole scene was a fever induced hallucination. Surely, once I showered, my mind would defog and my senses would return. Would it be then that the truth would come crashing down on me? Was I so desperate for affection that I allowed a phantasm of Edward to insist that he had a flaw?

Wait, it wasn't just a flaw. The probable-mirage of Edward had told me that he was a vampire. An honest-to-goodness, vampire, with teeth and venom and …

As I propped myself up in my bed, my hands felt buffered, like I couldn't feel the touch of the sheets around me. I stood and looked at my arms. I had on a cream colored leather jacket . I didn't own a jacket like this? Where had it come from?

When the realization hit me, my knees gave and I crumpled to the floor. All the memories, which I had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to convince myself was just a ghost of a fever haze brought on by food poisoning or Charlie's flu, came crashing into my mind.

Not thinking, I brought the sleeves of the jacket to my nose and inhaled deeply. Distinctly Edward. The jacket was undoubtedly Edward's. He had been in my room. The conversation we had really did happen.

Nothing made sense. Edward is a vampire.

My mind fumbled with the words again. _Edward is a vampire, _I thought. I waited for my body to react.

Nothing. I tried my tongue. "Edward is a vampire," I whispered into the jacket.

Nothing. I waited for my survival instincts to kick in.

It took a moment and then I realized that I had come to my conclusion about Edward already. Almost like I knew the truth before he had confirmed it, Edward was different. Big deal. It didn't change who he was. Just because he was physically a vampire didn't change the beauty of his soul.

I didn't care and I had told him as much. If he still wanted my friendship, he would have it.

With a new resolve, I pulled myself off the floor and gathered my shower basket. I stood in the rush of hot water allowing the old Bella to slough off. A new Bella was going to school today. Ready for whatever the Laurens and Tobis of the world could throw at me. I had a rock solid friendship. Of that, I was sure.

I felt Alice's eyes on me before I opened my locker.

"So Bella …" she began, rocking on her heals.

"'Morning, Alice," I said as cheerily as I felt. A smile beamed from my face. Alice was almost taken aback. I leaned in and whispered, "Didn't see that coming; did you?"

A conspiratorial smile cracked Alice's hard exterior. She winked. "He told you everything didn't he?"

I shrugged. "Possibly. I mean, we only talked for a couple of hours, he could have left stuff out. But, I think I got the general gist."

Alice froze for a minute and, as suddenly as it came on, the tension in her body slackened and dissipated.

"Yeah, he told you enough. You'll learn more in time." Alice paused for a moment, as if studying me, and then sighed. "I have a feeling we're going to become inseparable."

Her smile mirrored my own as she finished her thought. Alice wanted to be my friend as much as Edward did. Both of them had done so much to try to prove to me that they wanted to be my friends, but I hadn't let them into my world. And all I needed was to earn their trust for them to earn mine.

Alice and I walked to class and the day passed as if nothing of any importance had broken upon the world last night. I found myself floating to lunch as unexpectedly as any other event that had taken place in the last 24 hours. Who knew I could have a good day?

But, as quickly as I had let my guard down, it was back up. Lauren sat at the lunch table sneering at my entrance. "Bella, we missed you yesterday," she fawned. I scanned the eyes of students at the table. No one had missed me. Angela, maybe but Lauren clearly was laying a trap for me.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked and sat down.

"Yeah," she said, popping a triangle of tuna salad sandwich into her mouth. She spoke in the same breath, unintentionally showing me her half masticated lunch. "Jessica and I were wondering when the last time you saw 110 was?" Lauren giggled as my eyes narrowed.

"I said 12," Jessica interjected.

"I thought closer to eight," malice overflowed in her voice. She waited for me to wince, cry, react to her in anyway.

Raising my eyebrows, I simply stared at her as I began to eat my lettuce wrap. Anger surged behind her green eyes. "I, on the other hand, am a perfect 98," she praised herself. "How about you, Bella?"

"187," I answered with as much nonchalance as I could muster.

Jessica snorted and Lauren almost choked on the Diet Coke she had raised to her perfectly plumped lips. "187? Maybe in one thigh!" she barked.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Alice smiling at me.

"Oh, Lauren, I'm sorry," I said standing and gathering my lunch. "I thought we were talking about your IQ. 98 was just such a believable number. I'm sorry if my intelligence offends you. And, the last time I saw 110, I was four. Then again, I was a bright toddler."

Angela smirked as Lauren's jaw hit the ground. Mike and Tyler chuckled as Erik said "buuuuuurn!" Alice took my tray from me as she giggled her way back to the table that she and Edward sat at.

"Bella, I didn't know you had it in you!" she laughed as we sat. "That was amazing. Edward, you should have heard her."

Edward was smiling his devastating crooked smile. "I did," he confirmed before turning back to Lauren. All semblance of mirth left his face and his lips moved. I wondered if he was talking or just muttering to himself, but I thought I caught the quick motion of Alice's head, almost as if he she was nodding.

I shrugged it off as another unexplained Cullen "thing." When they were ready, they would tell me what was going on. Of that, I was sure.

Lunch had done nothing to ruin the day. Biology, while tedious, was a pleasure to be in. Edward and I chatted via notepaper while Mr. Banner prattled on about cell mitosis to the rest of the class. Even gym was better than average.

I invited Edward to dinner that evening, which he declined citing a previous engagement. "Hunting?" I asked under my breath as he walked me to my car at the end of the day.

"No," he answered. "I just have to do a few things around the house. I will call you, though." And with a kiss to my hand, he was off to meet his siblings.

Edward kept his promise and called just before I headed for bed. He practically sang into the phone, I couldn't help but smile. Finally saying our goodbyes, I turned in for the night.

Alone in my cocoon of soft comforters, I finally noticed a pain in my cheeks. I smiled and the pain increased. The muscles of my face must not be used to this kind of smiling. Unadulterated smiling. Smiling without need of hiding emotions. Smiling, just because. Just because of happiness. Smiling because of Edward. I slipped into sleep and dreamed of Edward.

The next morning, I was able to get dressed and out of the house without thinking of Edward. Alright, that was a lie. I was able to get out of the house with minimal thought of Edward. But, I will admit that it was mostly because I was overly concerned with an English paper that I was not 100 percent happy with. I had spent a large portion of yesterday perfecting it but it still seemed to be lacking. I was going to pass it in anyways and let the chips (or grades) fall as they may.

I hoped out of my truck and glanced around the parking lot. Edward's silver Volvo was no where in sight. It was still early, but I had just expected that they would be here. I entered the building with a bunch of freshmen who were looking for Tyler. I overheard one girl say she was planning to ask him to the Sadie Hawkin's Day Dance.

Until that moment, I hadn't given the dance a single thought since the night I saw the dress in the boutique window. The tiny blonde with the bouncy curls found Tyler a few lockers down from mine. She asked him about the dance and I watched him smile. He leaned in and whispered to her.

She seemed to jump when he turned back to his locker and the entire group of girls ran off out of the junior hall. "What was that about?" I asked Tyler, casually, attempting to gauge his response to the freshman.

"Heidi," he said, gesturing with his thumb to the girls who had just left. "She asked me to the dance. She's cute. I told her of course I'd go with her."

"That was a nice thing, Tyler," I said, wondering whether or not I'd given the students here enough credit. Some of them seemed to have a heart.

"Yeah," he said slamming his locker door shut. "Well, she's cute and I heard she puts out so …" he trailed off, smirking like a cat with a mouse. I shook my head. Nope_. Tyler was still a jerk,_ I thought heading back to my locker.

Lazy as I was, I left the lock to my locker on the last number the combination so I could just pull it down. It was just easy access for those days when I needed a fast escape from the hell of school or a fast exit from an embarrassing situation. Reaching for the lock, I saw a blur of motion before noticing a tiny hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Alice!" I blurted out, stunned.

"Let's go to the library before classes start. I just need to talk to you about a few things."

"Alright, let me just get my books for first period."

"No, no. We'll be back before that," she insisted pulling me away. "Let's go."

We found our seats in the back of the library where the librarians couldn't hear us speaking in hushed tones. "So, I know Edward told you a lot the other night. But, I think he might have left something out," Alice confessed after she was sure that we were alone.

"Yeah?" I asked. "What? Edward told me all about feeding from animals. About his special talents, and yours and Jasper's. He told me about how he wanted to kill me the first day he met me. What else do I need to know?"

"Did he tell you that this was the first time he's reacted to a human like he has with you?" Alice asked after taking a firm grip of my hand. "Has he mentioned that your blood calls to him? That he has never smelled blood as sweet and succulent as yours? Did he mention what danger you were in?"

I didn't move a muscle in my body. Was the pull Edward felt to feed on my blood as strong as Alice hinted at? Something nagged at the back of my mind. Could Edward be pretending to be my friend just to be around me … to smell me … to lust after the fragrance of my blood? Was he only coveting the scent of my blood and not the friendship I was offering him?

Sensing my distress, Alice brought my attention back to her. "Bella," she said shaking the hand she held. "I take it he didn't. I'm sure he kept it from you because he wanted you to know that he only wanted your friendship and nothing more."

Her last words were so definite. He wanted my friendship and nothing more. Nothing more. A weight dropped in my stomach and my eyes fell to my hands which Alice had released. How could I have deluded myself? How could I have courted the idea that I could ask Edward to the dance? I wouldn't humiliate myself like that.

Alice's hand found mine again and I compared the alabaster skin on both of our palms. Hers was smooth and beautiful. Mine was taut across my plump knuckles. I couldn't take the comparison any longer. Without thinking about my books, I headed for my morning classes. I could hear Alice calling me from our table but I couldn't look at her right now. I could see her face and think of Edward when my heart was in a free fall.

Classes passed as they always do and I received "Unprepared" marks in two of my three periods. At lunch, I sat with Edward and Alice, quiet and uneating, the three of us in our own worlds.

When the bell rang, I stood and headed for my locker. Angela followed behind me. I could tell she wanted to talk, so I slowed and gave her a smile as an invitation.

"Hi, Bella," she began. "You seem glum today."

"Yeah," I answered. I had perfected my uninterested monotone retorts back in Phoenix. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lauren and her entourage following us back to the junior hall. I hoped she was planning to leave me alone. I couldn't take much of her today.

"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to come shopping with me in Port Angeles?" she waited for my response. When I didn't answer, she continued. "There's a little dress shop that I wanted to look at. For the Sadie Hawkin's Dance?"

"I didn't know you had a date," I confessed.

"I don't," she said with a smirk. "Not yet," she finished as we reached my locker. Lauren had stopped at her own locker halfway down the hall. She shot me a curious glance as she popped her door open.

Slipping my own locker off, I slid the door open. Angela gasped as something spilled on the floor. The continents of my locker had opened onto the floor and I heard Lauren guffaw with glee. Her laugh was cut short when I saw what lay at my feet.

Hundred of stemless wildflowers had cascaded from the gaping maw of my locker. Where had they all come from? Blues, pinks, yellows and whites, all out of season in the chill winter air of Washington, littered the floor. The smell was heavenly. Tiny buds and enormous blooms spread the hall.

I turned to Angela, almost questioning her, but it was obvious she had as little clue as I did. Lauren fumed from her place down the hall. It was almost as if she knew this was going to happen but something went wrong. Was this Lauren's doing? If it was why would she put something as beautiful as flowers in my locker?

Then I saw it, hidden in the back of my locker, packed in a white box with a transparent window on the front was a dress. My dress. The gossamer cornflower blue dress from the store in Port Angeles.

I reached for it before I knew what I was doing. I pulled it from the container held it to my body. Angela gasped.

"Bella, that's from Cara Donna's. That's the store I wanted you and me to go to! Why didn't you tell me you already had a dress?"

"I didn't know I had one," I said dumbfounded. Carefully, like precious filigree, I packed the delicate dress back in the box. It took all my will power to grab my biology book and notebook and close my locker door. I just wanted to stare at the dress forever.

Lauren stomped her feet as I walked a few steps behind her and her friends to Biology. The small bouquet of flowers I had scooped before leaving the rest on the hallway floor sat in my hand. They were beautiful. Simple. Understated. Beautiful. But, where had they come from?

Both of our groups walked into Biology as the bell was ringing. Mr. Banner immediately continued yesterday's lecture on cell mitosis. Lauren's glares followed me the entire time. I could tell her tiny mind was fixated. I didn't know what I'd done to her, but it was clear that she held a special place in her blackened heart for me.

I harbored no ill will towards her. I just sat in my stool at the back of the class thinking about the flowers spread before me. Absentmindedly, I fingered the petals as I listened to Edward's rhythmic breathing beside me.

Once, I thought I caught him smiling.

At lunch on Friday, I was surprised to find Edward sitting at Jessica's spot in the table where I had been assigned to sit. "Do you mind?" he asked as I took the seat beside him.

"Never," I smiled.

"Where's Jessica?"

"She caught something from a senior," Lauren said with a dry cackle. I tried not to roll my eyes.

Soon enough, Ben joined our group and the table filled to capacity. I watched as Angela's normally placid face glistened and sparked with his approach. She positively beamed. _What is she doing?_ I thought as she turned to Ben and cleared her throat. If I had not been paying attention, I would have missed it.

"Ben, I've been thinking," she said placing her hand nervously on her lap. "I was wondering … well, if you really didn't mind … wouldyougotothedancewithme?" she finished in a flurry of words.

He smiled. "Angela, I was hoping you'd ask," he said and took her hand. It was so sweet to see Angela so happy. I couldn't help but turn to Edward, wondering if he had seen the exchange.

Mere inches from me was Edward. How could I not have felt the close proximity moments before? His eyes smoldered as I looked to him. A light danced across his eyes. I recognized it immediately. When he smiled, really and truly smiled, his eyes dance like they were on fire. I inhaled sharply and caught his cologne. It was all I could do not to pull him close and press my lips to his. He was absolutely dazzling.

Everything dropped away in an instant. All reserve and restraint and my heart jumped into my mouth. Before I could stop it, it spoke for me. "Edward, you wouldn't want to go to the dance with me, would you?"

Horrified by my actions, my eyes grew wide. _Why?_ my mind screamed. _You had to do it didn't you? Go and ruin a great friendship. Good job, Bella. _

Stunned into silence the entire table waited for his response. Their eyes flitted from him to me and back again. Lauren smirked and crossed her arms.

A moment passed

Then, two.

I heard Edward breath in.

A smile danced from his lips up to his eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask," he smiled. "I waited for you," he whispered as the table erupted in talk.

A furious Lauren slammed her tray against the table and rose to her full height before me. "Tyler and Mike, why don't you come with me to the gym?"

The boys obediently followed her like trained dogs.

"You don't mind going with me, then?" I asked, hoping he wasn't putting on a show for Lauren and the others at the table.

"Never," he answered.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't be offended if you found someone else to spend the dance with" I asked softly, hoping that I wouldn't betray the hurt I felt.

"Bella," he said, lifting my chin with his fingers. "There is no one I'd rather spend the night with than you." A deep chuckle came from his parted lips as I blushed.

I was going to the dance. With Edward. I pinched myself and Edward chuckled again.

Nope, not a dream. But, I couldn't shake the feeling like I was floating on air.

* * *

**You know the drill … read … review … thanks **


	18. Mischief Managed

**Author's Note: My French is a little rusty. I tried. Sorry :)**

* * *

**Last chapter:**

"_Bella," he said, lifting my chin with his fingers. "There is no one I'd rather spend the night with than you." A deep chuckle came from his parted lips as I blushed._

_I was going to the dance. With Edward. I pinched myself and Edward chuckled again._

_Nope, not a dream. But, I couldn't shake the feeling like I was floating on air._

* * *

**Edward's Point of View**

From a distance, I watched Bella's interaction with Lauren and her posse of companions. Jessica imitated Lauren in a very self conscious manner, almost as if she was pulled to mime the blonde, move for move. It was disturbingly evident that Jessica held Lauren on a pedestal and would act without a second thought if she was asked.

The boys at the table chuckled at Bella's witty retort. I had no idea she had such a capacity for humor. Angela smiled, satisfied, as Erik Yorkie drawled out the word "buuuuuuuuuuuurn!" In the next moment, Bella was sitting down at our vacant table, followed by Alice who gingerly placed Bella's tray, packed with a lettuce wrap, baby carrots, raisins, and a Vitamin Water, down as far away from her delicate nose without obviously offending Bella.

"Bella, I didn't know you had it in you!" Alice chortled. "That was amazing. Edward, you should have heard her."

I smiled. "I did," I answered trying hard to tune out what I heard coming from Lauren's table. Angela had gotten up with Ben to empty their trays, but the other five students had pulled tightly together. Whispering in conspiratorial tones, Lauren was hatching a plan to "bring down Bella," as she put it.

My insides hardened into stone. I heard every detail. Lauren asked Erik if he would mind Tyler and Mike coming over this afternoon to load up some product. Product? What was this product?

And then, it hit me. Erik's family had a small organic cow farm. Erik was to give Mike and Tyler two large garbage bags filled with the product. They would bring it with them to school the next morning. Mike and Erik were still confused by Tyler had catch on quickly. He smiled and promised he would be back at school bright and early.

Mike, still slow, whispered his question. "What are you going to do with it?"

Shaking her head, Lauren wondered if she really needed Mike's help or not. Coming to the conclusion that he was in it for the brawn not the brains, she answered, "you and Tyler are going to take the cow flops and put them in her locker. I've seen her leave at the end of the day, she flips the combination to the last number. Just tug on the lock and you're in."

Manure. They were planning to sully Bella's locker with cow feces. This was low, even for Lauren.

Speaking quickly and quietly, so as not to alert or alarm Bella, I informed Alice of the situation. Come Hell or high water, I would have Bella's locker cleaned of the offensive and abhorrent filth before she knew of its presence. Alice agreed with a slight incline of her head.

Whether Bella caught our counter-plotting, I was unsure, but I could tell she smelled a rat, though, she never said a word. The trust that she held for Alice and I was admirable.

Lunch, Biology and Calculus passed. I was able to meet Bella at the loathsome truck. "Would you come for dinner and some study time, tonight?" Bella asked, tilting her head. Transfixed by the sight of her neck, I watched the blood pump just below her creamy ivory skin.

"I would love to come, Bella, but I have a previous engagement," I sighed, wishing I could be a normal teenager who could hang with their friends on a whim.

"Hunting?" she asked under her breath.

"No," I answered, almost laughing. "I just have to do a few things around the house. I will call you, though." And without a second thought, I lifted her delicate hand to my lips and pressed a parting kiss upon her skin.

Alice was ready for me when I made my appearance at the Volvo. "Edward, you'll have to get a …"

I cut her off. "Alice, I know what to do. Please, try not to spoil this for me. You may have already seen the outcome but I have not. Please?" I plead with her.

"Oh, Edward. Everything will work out." She was silent for a moment before she finished her thought. "Just don't be too upset with me later, alright?" she sighed slipping in the back seat with Jasper and Emmett. Her fingers instinctively flicking to Jasper's wrists, where the first of hundreds, if not thousands, of bite wounds puckered his skin. His eyes locked with her and I tried desperately to block their thoughts.

Soon enough, my siblings were out of the car and I was racing for Port Angeles. I parked near the cinema before heading for a row of boutiques that lined the main road. And then, suddenly, there it was. The window of a store that Bella had unconsciously pulled to my attention when she drew her fingers across the glass.

Almost like she had been pointing to it at the time, a dress tucked in the back of the window display of Cara Donna's screamed Bella's name. It was cornflower blue. It was a short strapless number with a demure knee length. The dress simply oozed Bella.

Inside a single attendant eyed me suspiciously as I walked in. I flashed a smile and waited for her thoughts to shift from mistrust to lust as they would invariably do. I was right and was her mind filthy. I would have to deal with her hormones if I was going to surprise Bella.

"Can I _help_ you with something?" the woman in her mid-twenties asked me. Her true intentions dripped from her thoughts. _Maybe, you can help me with sommin' sommin', sexy. _

I shuttered involuntarily before pointing to the dress in the window. "May I inquire about your dress?"

"Sure thing," she said, walking to the front of the store. Her red lacquered nailed rasped against the silk skirt as she pulled the mannequin from the window. "This here's a dress with …" she paused taking out a card pinned the underside of the dress. It was clear that she only sold the dresses and had no fashion design skill of her own. She read the card like a brochure, "This dress that features vertical shirring overlaying the strapless empire bodice and a flared a-line knee length skirt."

"Thank you," I sighed, defeated. This woman might just be the bane of my evening. "Could you tell me how much it will be?"

"Well, that depends on the size and when you need it for," she drawled.

Size? Why had I not thought about size? Alice would know. I reached for my cell and dialed her number. A giggle reached my ear. "Jasper," I heard her admonish.

"No Alice, it's Edward," I answer.

"Edward, I knew it was you. I was just yelling at Jasper, he was," she paused. "Distracting me," she huffed into the receiver. "I've got to go, but to answer your question: I have no idea. I see everything working out so just use your best guess."

Clearly, she and Jasper had just been interrupted during a private moment which left me high and dry. I turned back to the attendant and shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, suga', what does this girl look …" she paused, appraising me for a moment. _I wonda' if this dress is for him. He could make it work, _she thought with a raise of her eye brow.

"She's about 5'4" and …" How did I describe Bella and make this woman understand. I really do not believe that my admiration for her eyes or skin or hair would help the process of dress selection any. In my day, Bella would have been called "fleshy" or "portly" even. Just today, I heard Lauren call her "fat."

I could not care less what she looked like. She was Bella. She was an entire package not just a nice figure or a pretty face.

It hit me in that instant; I had feelings for Bella. I had trusted her with our secret, basically, entrusting her with our lives. I wanted to protect her, help her, be her friend.

Still in my hand, my cell phone vibrated. "Stop dreaming about her and tell the woman that you want an 18," Alice chirped. "I'll take it in if I think it needs to be," she finished hanging up the phone.

"Can I have it in an 18?" I asked.

"Sure. When for?" she asked, again.

"Tonight," I answered. "I would like to leave with it now if you have it in stock."

She pulled the tag from the back of the dress. "Man, are you ever lucky. This is the last size of this style we have in stock and it's an 18." She pulled the dress from the mannequin and headed for the register.

"So, with tax and gratuity…"

"Gratuity?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, for all the help I gave you tonight," she answered, planting her hand firmly on her hip as a challenge for me to argue.

"I guess you have a point," I intoned, attempting to dazzle her into removing the bogus gratuity. It worked.

"Let's see," she poked the number into a calculator. "That'll be $359.99, total. Would you like that wrapped?"

"Boxed, please," I asked.

With the dress firmly placed in a white box with a translucent from panel to view the contents, I left for home. The dash board clock display read 9:20 p.m. I wondered if it was too late to call Bella but decided that a promise was a promise.

Her voice made me dance in my seat as I sped at over 135 mph on Route 101 back into Forks. Her goodbyes, heartbreaking. It took everything I had in my power to wish her a good sleep and, then, hang up the phone.

I had one last task to finish before the night was over. My fingers flew over the backlit number pad on my phone and a groggy voice answered my ringing. "Bonjour, c'est boutique de fleur du Madame Lis." **(Good day, this is Madame Lis's Flower Boutique.)**

"Bonsoir, Monsieur Lis. C'est Edward Cullen. J'ai un billet très spécial que je souhaite placer ce soir," I spoke as fluidly as possible. **(Good evening, Mr. Lis. This is Edward Cullen. I have a very special order that I would like to place this evening.)** My French was rusty. Mr. Lis was an old acquaintance who frequently helped the family with floral arrangements made in a rush.

"Ahh, Monsieur Cullen. C'est une surprise pour entendre votre voix! Comment est-ce que je peux aider un homme tel que vous-même?" he spoke in his lilting Canadian accent. **(Ahh, Mr. Cullen. What a surprise it is to hear your voice. How can I help a man such as you?)**

"Monsieur Lis, vous me flattez. J'ai besoin de votre aide. J'ai besoin des fleurs." **(Mr. Lis, you flatter me. I am in need of your help. I require flowers.)**

"Naturellement, pourquoi autrement vous appelleriez le maître," he laughed. "Est-ce que je peux suis demander, ceux-ci pour une jolie jeune dame?" **(Of course, why else would you have called the Master.)**

I explained my needs to the gentleman and he agreed that he would have just what I needed. We finished our conversation stating that I would be waiting with payment for his services and floral arrangement when I met him in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Waiting for him on the tarmac, I handed the five boxes of flowers in to the flight attendants who had been hired to handle the private flight to and from Canada. After take off, I opened on box to view the contents. Hundreds of wildflowers of various hues, shades, shapes and sizes were mixed together. I could hardly wait to see the look on Bella's face when she saw them.

The next morning, Alice and I headed for school extra early to catch Bella before she had time to open her locker. I did not want her to tarnish her beautiful hands with one molecule of the debris waiting for her. We parked on the far side of the lot, away from where Bella would search for my car.

We could smell the manure from outside of the school. Secretly, I wished I had come in time to see Mike and Tyler in the act. Catch some evidence to get them in trouble with the authorities rather than the vigilante justice I had staked out.

Alice stopped Bella beside her locker, as she had the day before and, once again, dragged her to the library. Alice had forewarned me that Bella might become extremely agitated by their talk, but that everything "would work out for the best." How many times have I heard that in the past few days?

The bell rang and still Bella had not returned to her locker. Knowing that I had a small window of opportunity, I began turning the dial of her lock. My hearing allowed me to sense the subtle clicks of the barrel when I rotated passed her combination. 14 … 28 … 4 … and the lock popped open.

I pulled the door slightly ajar and took stock of the situation. I was going to need two garbage pails. I closed the door and grabbed the nearest two trash cans in the junior hallway. When the door to Bella's locker opened a second time, I was able to maneuver the baskets so that not a single drop of Lauren's planned humiliation hit the ground.

_Edward: one, Lauren: zero_, I thought.

Walking to the parking lot, I found Tyler's new compact car and disabled the locking mechanism. I pulled up the carpeting and poured the manure into the floor boards. Sitting down, I stomped the feces flat and repeated the procedure until one barrel was empty and the entire car had been filled. Mike's car, which he apparently never locked, was even easier and the manure soaked easily into the padding of the seat cushions. Vengeance was sweet. But, what I really wanted was for Lauren to pay.

Making a stop at my car, I grabbed a new set of clothes, incase I had befouled my current ones and changed. Bella's flowers and boxed dress in hand, I slipped back inside without being seen. I placed her dress in the back of the locker and poured three of the boxes of flowers in before closing the door. The last two boxes were going to be more difficult. I fed each flower in the vents of Bella's locker hoping that I would not mangle them in the process.

I made it to class in time for second period and the day passed. At lunch, Bella, Alice, and I sat in still silence. I could not fathom what Alice had said to her, but Bella would not even look my way.

"_I'm sorry, Edward," _Alice crooned in her head. _"I just tried to talk to her. Explain a few things. I'm not entirely sure, but … I think I made things worse."_

I inclined my head and made a face which I hoped conveyed "you think so?" Sarcasm through facial features and subtle gestures had become my specialty in the last half century.

When the bell rang, Bella stood suddenly and made a beeline for the building that housed the junior hallway. Angela was hot on her tail. I could only hope that Bella appreciated my gift. Even if she was not aware it was from me. As I walked to Biology, I knew that if my heart could beat, it would be pounding out of my chest.

I heard Angela's thoughts and the stomping of Lauren's feet before I saw the group enter Mr. Banner's classroom. Lauren was furious. Angela was giddy and Bella …

Bella held a handful of tiny, white Lily of the Valley buds, bright foxglove, pale pink primrose, and purple/blue Morning glories. It was beautiful. Her hand held the mass so delicately. I could not help but sigh at the sight. She was beautiful.

She was. How had I not seen it before? She was beautiful.

Spread out before her on the lab table, I watch Bella absentmindedly finger the petals. I wondered her soft her skin felt when compared to the flowers. It was all I could do to sit contentedly and inhale her sweet aroma mixed with the fresh flowers. I was in heaven.

All I could do was smile.

When the opportunity presented itself on Friday, I took a vacant seat, left by the ill Jessica and sat at Bella's assigned table. Even though Alice had threatened Lauren to leave Bella alone at lunch time almost a week ago, it was clear the girl had not heeded my sister's warning.

Seeing me at the table, Bella looked confused. "Do you mind?" I asked her as she sat down beside me.

"Never," she said with a smile before turning to the rest of the table. "Where's Jessica?"

"She caught something from a senior," Lauren said with a dry cackle. Bella rolled her eyes. It was just like Lauren to turn on even her closest friends.

Ben Cheney, a shortish boy of Asian ethnicity, came to sit at the table.

Angela's thoughts immediately swung from worries over a math midterm next week to … Ben. Her face was glowing. On an impulse, she spoke, "Ben, I've been thinking," she said placing her hand nervously on her lap. "I was wondering … well, if you really didn't mind … wouldyougotothedancewithme?" she finished in a flurry of words.

He smiled. "Angela, I was hoping you'd ask," he said and took her hand.

I could not help but turn to Bella wondering if I could make her as happy as Ben had made Angela. Unconsciously, I moved closer to her. Anything, just to be near her.

It was then that she turned to face me. Inches. Mere inches separated her from me. I wondered how long we could stay like that before someone would interrupt. I hoped it would be lengthy respite.

She inhaled sharply and her lips parted, "Edward, you wouldn't want to go to the dance with me, would you?"

Her eyes grew wide. Maybe she was already regretting her decision to ask me. The entire table waited for me to respond. I drew a breath of composure as Lauren crossed her arms.

_Why would Edward want to go to the dance with a swine like her when he can have me?_ She thought. She made me sick. And then, like second nature, I smiled.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask," I said, allowing my smile to broaden. "I waited for you," I whispered as the table broke free of its restraints and table resumed.

A furious Lauren slammed her tray against the table and rose to her full height before Bella. "Tyler and Mike, why don't you come with me to the gym?" They followed.

"You don't mind going with me, then?" she asked.

"Never," I answered.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't be offended if you found someone else to spend the dance with" she asked so quietly that I'm sure no one else at the table heard. I reached for her.

"Bella," I said, lifting her chin with my fingers. "There is no one I'd rather spend the night with than you." Her cheeks blushed crimson and I could not help but laugh. How could she know that I had been spending most nights in her room, comforted just by her presence?

Bella reached for her forearm and twisted the skin. When she jumped slightly, I realized she was trying to pinch herself. I had to chuckle. She was just too adorable.

She was just too beautiful.


	19. Year of the Tiger

**Last chapter:**

_Bella reached for her forearm and twisted the skin. When she jumped slightly, I realized she was trying to pinch herself. I had to chuckle. She was just too adorable._

_She was just too beautiful._

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

I could hardly believe my lucky. On Thursday, I had found hundreds of wildflowers in my locker. And just incase I was dreaming the scene before me, in the back, I found **THE** dress that I had spied during my night in Port Angeles.

I hadn't a clue who would have put it in there. Who would have gone to the trouble with the flowers? They were beautiful and, oh so, romantic. I knew who I wished had put them in there. The same person I had been dreaming about since I moved to this tiny hamlet only two weeks ago.

Two weeks. When I thought about Edward, his golden eyes that smoldered and sent waves of inexplicable joy through my body, I couldn't believe I'd only known him for two weeks. In books and movies, the romantic heroine always mentioned she'd been drawn to the lead male. Like they had been meant for each other.

When I was around Edward, it wasn't like he and I were meant for each other. No. More like, I had been waiting for him. Waiting to inhale a much needed breath of air. He was my air.

Something came over me Friday at lunch, watching Angela ask Ben to the dance. She glowed with happiness when he had accepted her invitation. And, for a brief moment, I felt the green eyed pangs of jealous rear its ugly head deep in my stomach. I wanted that. I wanted someone to sit across the table from me and smile like a sap. To have those feelings. Like you are drowning and flailing in every direction, but enjoying every minute of it.

And there he was. Inches from me. It took everything in my power not to lean into him and rest my forehead against his. I felt his breath against my cheek and then the words slipped out. I prayed my embarrassment would be short lived. Or maybe, Lauren had not heard.

He agreed. Whether it was pity or not, he had agreed. From that moment on, I walked on clouds.

Alice insisted that we go shopping for her dress on Tuesday afternoon. Cleaning the house, I was glad for a few minutes of rest before Alice, who surely would sweep in like a whirlwind, came over. I assumed it would be the two of us, but when Edward's Volvo crunched up the driveway, I panicked. Not expecting Edward, I had changed into a boring tee-shirt and well worn jeans.

_Oh well, nothing I can do now,_ I thought, running my fingers through my hair as I walked out of the house to Edward's car. I grabbed a hair tie from my wrist and pulled my hair back.

I looked up and there he was. Standing by the passenger side door, holding it open for me, was Edward. In his black button down, Edward looked more like an immortal every passing second. I couldn't help but gap at him.

I was brought out of my stunned state by Alice's giggle from the back seat of the Volvo. Edward poured himself fluidly into the driver's seat and turned to stare at me. His gaze never left me and I began to feel uncomfortable. "What?" I asked after a minute of tension.

"Bella," Alice whispered from the back seat. "Seatbelt?"

"Oh gosh! Sorry," I said, buckling myself in.

"As the only truly breakable thing in the car, I need you to be extra careful. For me?" he smiled as his foot hit the accelerator. _For me?_ He was personally requesting my safety. I smiled and exhaled. I hated shopping but, with Edward, maybe it could be alright.

We drove to Portland, Oregon, to shop at a dress maker that Alice loved. Edward and I sat and talked in a lovely viewing room while Alice was fitted and picked out a design and color. He was hilarious at moments and serious at others. I had come to learn that his tastes in literature, movies, music and art were as varied as his mood.

Alice completed her purchase, which would be ready Thursday, at the latest, and gave me a knowing smile. She clearly was pleased with herself but why? The stupid psychic vampire had seen something and she was keeping it to herself. With Edward so close, I didn't want to press her for information.

Edward drove on, stopping at a mall. Alice "needed" shoes and accessories to go with her dress.

We moved together through the mall, and I noticed the stares from many a teenaged girl. Edward was their target. A few times, I watched him cringe. _Internal dialogue_, I remembered. Each of these hormone crazed chicks probably was mentally undressing him.

A few weeks ago, I would have been right along side them. But, now that I knew him … I knew the person behind those ochre eyes …

I watched Alice shoo him into the Nordstrom's with the instructions to find clothes for the dance. He rolled his eyes but kissed his sister on the top of her head. "Yes, mom," he said, walking inside.

"I wish he wouldn't do that," Alice chastised as we walked to the far side of the mall.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Try to listen in when I'm thinking," she answered with a curt smile. "Let's go get you some shoes for that dress."

I stopped in my tracks. "Alice." She kept walking.

"ALICE CULLEN!" I shouted.

"Bella, what's wrong?" she said running back to my side slow enough so as not to draw attention to her tiny frame. I stood planted. Fuming.

"Did you buy the dress?" I accused. The smile on her face dropped and was replaced by a blank expression.

"No. No, I did not," she said. "I only saw it in a vision. Now let's go get some shoes. And maybe some earrings … OOOOH and a clutch."

I let Alice drag me into a couple of stores before she found a perfect pair of brown ballet flats with blue accents. A clutch, necklace and earrings rounded out the ensemble.

We walked out and sat at a fountain in the center of the mall's food plaza. "I can't wait," Alice exclaimed, talking about the dance and our outfits. "Oh Bella, he'll love you in your attire."

And, suddenly, it hit me.

"Edward," I whispered.

"Where?" she asked, swiveling her head, looking for the man whose name I had just uttered.

I buried my head in my hands and smiled. It made perfect sense now. "Edward," I said more forcibly.

"What?"

"H-he bought the dress," I stuttered.

She smiled.

That small gesture was all I needed to know that I was right.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to catch that," Alice confessed.

"And the flowers? All those gorgeous wildflowers?"

She smiled, her eyes never unlocking from my own.

"Edward," I whispered, again. "Oh Alice, how could you not tell me?"

"It wasn't my place," she shrugged.

It was my turn to smile. Edward bought me the dress. Edward filled my locker with the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. I was in my own world of revelry when I noticed he had rejoined Alice and me.

His hair was ruffled more than usual from trying on garments. Two bags were held in one hand while the other was held out to me. I gladly accepted and he helped me from the stone wall that Alice and I had been sitting on. His fingers intertwined with my own as he began walking away. I could hardly believe my luck.

_Edward, Edward, Edward,_ my brain chugged along as we walked. He didn't release it until we reached the car, where, ever the gentleman, he helped me to my seat and closed the door before allowing Alice entrance and putting the packages in the trunk.

And so, like most nights, I dreamt about him. Standing before a limo in a freshly pressed jacket, Edward motioned for me to join him inside. But just before I got to the door, he morphed into Lauren and I was roughly pushed into a mud puddle.

I woke the next morning with a sigh. _Sun_, I thought. _Just great._

The Cullens would be absent today. School was listless and boring without Alice and Edward. Lauren would glare and I was ignore her.

And so, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed the same. Bright and glorious but devoid of my own personal sun. Edward would call me each night to talk for hours, but refused all entreaties to come over.

"You don't melt in the sun do you?" I teased him on Friday.

"No," I heard him chuckling on the other end of the line. "When the sun shines, we … well, we can never quite be as conspicuous as we would like."

I laughed. Like the Cullens, as breathtakingly beautiful as they were, would ever be mistaken for "conspicuous."

On Saturday morning, I woke with start. The dance was today. The sun was gone and a light green tinged mist hung heavy about our small house. Alice had promised to come over at two and start my hair and makeup. Rosalie would show up closer to five with some dinner for the humans, as she put it, meaning myself and Charlie. Alice apparently had seen me trying to fix spaghetti bolognaise with rollers in my hair and half a face of makeup. The punch line was that I slipped when a roller fell out of my wet hair and I spilled marinara sauce down the front of my dress.

They weren't taking any such chances and I was instructed to have my hair washed and ready for Alice when she came over.

And did she ever come over. It was a good thing Charlie was at work for the day, because Alice knocked at the backdoor with both arms filled with boxes of stuff.

"What is all this?" I asked as she spread the boxes through the kitchen and living room.

"Some of my makeup," she answered, heading back out to her car.

"Some?" I asked when she walked back in.

"Yeah, I left the rest at home. I've got two closets full. You should be glad I didn't bring it all!"

I sighed. That's all I could do, sigh. Alice had literally strapped me in to a kitchen chair and was pinning my hair into tight white rollers.

I heard her put on some music and she began dancing her way through the boxes spread across the house. My eyes heavy from the last few nights of nightmare induced bad sleep droop.

"Why don't catch a few minutes of sleep while I work on your hair. You don't want to be nodding off tonight, do you?"

"No," I mumbled already drifting off.

"Bella," I heard a sweet voice sing in my ear. A hand gentle shook my shoulder. "Bella, wake up. You have to eat, if you want us to be on time for the boys to pick us up."

Rosalie stood before me decked out. I couldn't believe the sensual beauty she exuded. Her hair was loose about her face and her lips were crimson. A tight fitting turquoise gown hugged her in all the right spots. She was gorgeous.

I took the sandwich she handed me and turned to see Alice ready as well. Her tiny frame was sheathed in a purple strapless cocktail dress. A sequined overlay made me her sparkle. I was dumb founded that these two had found a way to outshine their everyday beauty.

"Bella, the boys are going to be here soon. You've been asleep for hours," Alice said holding out the light brown clutch she had insisted on buying me while we were at the mall.

"OH no!" I screamed, standing quickly. "I have to get dressed."

Rose caught my wrist as I made to move past her. "Silly girl, look," she instructed pointing me to look in the full length mirror she had brought down from my room.

There they were, my brown flats on my feet. Scanning up, I noticed my legs sparkled slightly. So did my arms. I sniffed at my wrist.

"Body by Victoria Secret Luminous Powder," announced Rosalie, smiling at my reflection.

The dress, which I hadn't dared to try on yet, was perfect. Beautiful, actually. Still moving up, I noticed Alice had done a terrific job on my hair and makeup.

An ache in my throat finally made me inhale.

"I can't go out like this," I said apprehension in my voice. "It's just … I can't … what will he think?" I asked. I knew I was starting to blubber but my mind was shutting down. Edward was coming over. I knew I was never going to look like Alice or Rosalie but … I didn't think I did him justice as a date.

"I can't do this," I told Alice.

"Why not?" apparently my melt down was not part of her visions.

"I'm not good enough. This isn't me. This is just a cover for what's underneath."

"Bella, what if this is what's underneath? What if this is what **you** were trying to hide?" she asked. "You know a very smart woman once said 'It's better to live one year as a tiger than a hundred as a sheep.'"

"Eleanor Roosevelt?" I asked.

"Madonna," she said with a chuckle. "Let's live like tigers, alright?"

"Alice," I said with a chuckle, the tears threatening to spill. She moved over to me and grabbed hold of my torso. I hugged her back with all my might. Outside I could hear cars crunching on the gravel drive.

"The boys are here," Rosalie announced and opened the door.

"Come on, Bella," Alice said, looping her arm into mine. "Let's go have some fun."

**

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**Author's Note: Rosalie, Alice, and Bella's dresses can be found by following the links in my profile.**


	20. Into The Fog

**Last chapter:**

"_Alice," I said with a chuckle, the tears threatening to spill. She moved over to me and grabbed hold of my torso. I hugged her back with all my might. Outside I could hear cars crunching on the gravel drive._

"_The boys are here," Rosalie announced and opened the door._

"_Come on, Bella," Alice said, looping her arm into mine. "Let's go have some fun."_

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**Alice's Point of View**

My dress was the perfect shade of deep plum purple with hints of burgundy and black. Of course, none of the students present in the gymnasium tomorrow night would ever see the subtle play of light and dark hidden within the fabric. _Just one more advantage of vampire eye sight,_ I sighed to myself.

And suddenly, my focus shifted. Like a heavy fog or a hazy veil was being pulled over my eyes, I could see Bella, beautiful in her dress and curlers, trying to prepare spaghetti and meat sauce for her father. While reaching for a spoon to stir the sauce, a loose roller falls to the ground, seemingly unnoticed. Shifting back to her original position in front of the stove, Bella's foot grazes the roller and her feet come out from under her. In the flash of an eye, she is falling. Her hand stretches out to grab for something to stop her descent to the linoleum kitchen floor. It finds grip on the handle of the sauce pan which, promptly, over turns onto Bella, ruining her dress. She is mostly uninjured, but her dress is destroyed.

"Alice?" I hear from far away as the fog slowly lifts. "Alice?" the same sing-songy voice called to me.

"What's the matter?" Jasper asks, perched on our bed. "One minute, you're staring at your dress and the next you're laughing like a maniac."

I had to tell him what Bella was going to do. The girl was a danger magnet, true, but none of us wanted to ruin this night for her. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, checking the time. "Since its 2:14 a.m., I suggest you wait until morning to tell her," he drawled in the Southern accent that still drove shivers to my core.

"2:14, huh?" I asked in my own Mississippi twang. "What should we do to pass the time until then?"

He tilted his head, pretending to think, monetarily, before launching himself across the bed at me.

Later, after the sun had risen and Jasper and I had pulled ourselves from the tangled bed sheets that we had lazed about in all morning long, I decided to start sorting some of the makeup I had accumulated over the years. I never really wore any of it. Jasper thought I was beautiful without the aid of products, but I could never resist a good sale. I grabbed three large boxes and began filling them with hair products, makeup, brushes and pins of all shapes and sizes.

I was lugging them down stairs when Rose bumped into me. "Need help?" she asked grabbing the top box which was threatening to tumble down upon me.

"Actually, Rose …" I began, batting my eyes at her.

"No," she answered without letting me finish. She placed the box in her car and stomped her way out of the garage.

"Rose, she needs you. I need you," I implored.

Rosalie stopped and placed her hand on her hips, not turning to face me. "Why?" she asked under her breath.

"She …"

"No," she interrupted. "Why her? Why a human? Why now?"

Rose was asking the same questions that had been rushing through all of our heads in the last few weeks. Why had Edward befriended her? What was it about this human, this Bella, that Edward saw so appealing? Why her?

"I don't know. All I can tell you is that Jasper has never known Edward to be this happy. He's never had a friend like Bella. He's different with her. More …" I paused searching for the word.

"Complete," Rose whispered. I nodded. He was. Without her, Edward had been a man, but a shell. He was like an actor trying in vain to portray what he thought a man might be. With her …

"He needs her, Rose. She needs us." Rosalie caught my intended meaning.

Being as close as a sister to Rosalie was never an easy thing. Moody and beautiful, Rose could be self centered, but I knew, deep down inside, she had a heart of pure gold. She just wanted to guard her family. Like Esme, Rose had a fierce protective streak.

"You need to be nice to her," I asked of Rosalie when she turned to face me. "Can you do that, for me? For Edward? Just be nice?"

A moment of silence passed and the calls of birds in the forest beyond the Sol Duc River echoed through the cavernous garage. Finally, her head nodded an assent.

"Thank you," I said, walking to her side and planting a kiss on her check. "I need to hunt but come to Bella's before five, alright? Tell the boys to meet us there."

She smiled as I dropped into the driver's seat of the red BMW M3 convertible. I flipped open my cell and dialed Bella.

"Hey Alice," she answered the phone.

"Good morning! I just wanted to let you know that I'll be by at two to help you with your hair and makeup. Rose's going to come over later with dinner for you and Charlie."

"No, Alice, I can cook," she began to protest.

"After what I saw, I don't want you NEAR that kitchen," I laughed and recounted my vision.

Closing the phone, I sighed and hit the accelerator, taking off for the deep forests outside of town.

At two on the dot, I rapped on the porch door of the Swan residence with my foot. My hands were full with two of the three boxes that had taken up the entire back seat of Rosalie's car.

"What is all this?" Bella asked. I walked in the kitchen and surveyed our options. I'd have to make some kind of assembly line if I wanted to find everything Bella might need.

"Some of my makeup," I answered, heading back out to the car.

"Some?" Bella asked as I came back into the house. Her eyes held a tinge of fear but more humor than anything.

"Yeah, I left the rest at home. I've got two closets full. You should be glad I didn't bring it all!"

She sighed as I pushed her into a chair and looked her up and down. She had followed my instructions and washed her hair. A fresh palette was exactly what I wanted. Grabbing the nearest box, I rummaged for a bag of bobby pins and white rollers.

Bella closed her eyes and I stopped, feeling like something was missing. _Music_, I thought. In the living room, I switched Bella's TV to a music station and began dancing. I could hardly wait for tonight.

In the kitchen, Bella's eyes were still closed. "Why don't catch a few minutes of sleep while I work on your hair. You don't want to be nodding off tonight, do you?"

"No," she mumbled. In minutes, I could hear her rhythmic breathing. She was out like a light.

While she slept, I finished her makeup. Natural tones seemed the most appropriate for her. Pulling the rollers from her dry hair, I was envious of the body and life that her hair had taken on. My hair was so short. _I wonder what it would be like to have hair like hers?_

My pocket buzzed. "Hello," I whispered in the phone so Bella wouldn't wake.

"I'm at the back door," Rose said. "I've got the dresses. Let me in."

Rose, who had run from our house with the dresses in tow, edged into the tiny kitchen. "Kind of sparse, isn't it?" she asked, only to be met with my own vicious glare.

"Rosalie Hale, you promised."

"I know. I know," she said. She walked to the living room and hung the dresses from the back of the door. "Where's the bathroom. I want to shower and get the leaves out of my hair."

"Upstairs, but help me with Bella first," I asked pointing to the still sleeping form before me.

"Wake her," Rose said.

"She needs the sleep, now I'll lift her and you put her dress on. I've only got two hands," I finished, showing her my palms. Rose and I were able to dress her without even a change in her heart rate. _She never knew,_ I smiled.

"Go shower. I'll get ready now and then you can have the mirror," I instructed.

Rosalie was back in less then five minutes. I had put on my dress and my hair was finished, sleeked back with tiny diamonds clipped in. Rose grabbed the mirror as I turned to finish Bella's hair. In moments, I had pinned back Bella's swirly locks of chocolate brown hair. I heard Rosalie slip into her dress and turned to find her with a sandwich in hand, ready to present to Bella.

"We should wake her," Rose said. "The guys will be here soon." I nodded.

"Bella," Rosalie sang to Bella, gently shaking her shoulder. "Bella, wake up. You have to eat, if you want us to be on time for the boys to pick us up."

Bella was slow to stir but took the sandwich. She stared at the both of us, her mouth agape.

"Bella, the boys are going to be here soon. You've been asleep for hours," I said holding out the light brown clutch I bought for her at the mall.

"OH no!" she screamed, standing quickly. "I have to get dressed."

Rose caught her wrist stopping her before she got too far. "Silly girl, look," she instructed pointing to the full length mirror she had brought down from Bella's room.

"Body by Victoria Secret Luminous Powder," announced Rosalie, smiling at Bella who was staring at her legs. Rose knew Edward would love the irony that Bella was sparking during the night while we sparkled during the day.

I smiled until I heard Bella inhale sharply. Her heart rate raced as she turned to me. "I can't go out like this," she said. "It's just … I can't … what will he think?"

She was panicking. I was afraid of this.

"I can't do this," she said, grabbing my arms to steady herself.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I'm not good enough. This isn't me. This is just a cover for what's underneath."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She still doubted herself. If she or Edward had any idea what I saw. In one vision, I knew that she was wrong.

"Bella, what if this is what's underneath? What if this is what **you** were trying to hide?" I asked. "You know a very smart woman once said 'It's better to live one year as a tiger than a hundred as a sheep.'"

"Eleanor Roosevelt?" she asked, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Madonna," I answered, catching Rose's chuckle in the background. "Let's live like tigers, alright?"

"Alice," she said with a chuckle, but I could still tell she might let the water works flow. I swiftly moved to her and put my arms around her waist. I felt her hug back with all her power. It moved me to know she felt so safe around me, a vampire. Safe enough to clutch to me like this.

In the distance, I heard the approach of two cars.

"The boys are here," Rosalie announced and opened the door.

"Come on, Bella," I said, looping my arm into hers. "Let's go have some fun."

Bella shook her head, as if to free some lingering sleep from her brain, and inhaled. We waited in the door way as Rosalie made her appearance first. Emmett whistled low and long. A vision popped quickly into my head and disappeared before Bella took notice. Emmett loved Rose's dress and was planning to show her just how much later tonight on the way home in his Jeep.

I sighed out an unneeded breath and turned to Bella. "My turn," I said touching her hair as Esme often did to comfort me. "He's going to love you," I said, cryptically before turning to exit.

Jasper's grin was the first thing I saw when I took a step outside onto the porch. And in an instant, I knew he loved my dress as much as Emmett had appreciated Rose's.

After a moment at his side, I turned back to see Bella hesitate in the window. Edward was pacing, hardly able to control his anxiety. I felt it radiating from Jasper who was powerless but to mimic Edward's emotion at a moment like this. And then, there she was.

Edward stopped moving. Emmett stopped breathing. Jasper smiled.

Beautiful from head to toe, Bella stepped out on the porch and Edward was still. The anxiety I had felt rolling off Jasper moments ago was replaced with … a very different emotion. I was sure I was the only one who felt it before Jasper covered for Edward spreading a calming wave across us.

Bella descended the steps and slowly moved to Edward. Offering his assistance, Bella reached for him to be rewarded with a kiss on the hand. Their eyes locked. I felt like I was intruding on the most private of moments. In an instant, I knew everything as if I could read minds like Edward.

_I know, _I sang loudly in my head, knowing Edward would hear it. Edward growled, low and menacing and I knew I had overstepped my bounds. I was finding it more and more difficult to edit my thoughts around him. I was trying to hide certain aspects of his future from him.

Like the vision I had had on the first morning Bella had arrived at Forks High School. That morning, just before we exited the car for school, Bella had popped into my mind. I saw her and Edward, close together in an intimate embrace that I knew was not for my eyes. The love that radiated from them was palpable. Jasper had held my hand as I awoke in the back of Edward's Volvo, thinking my tears to be those of anguish. They were tears of love. I cried from the sheer beauty of what I had seen.

I knew Jasper could feel it now. Edward was falling in love with Bella and, from the look in her eyes, I think she was falling for him, too. I grabbed Jazz's hand pulling him to Rosalie's BMW. Emmett and Rose had already jumped in the Jeep as Edward held the passenger side door of his silver Aston Martin V12 open for Bella. I could not help but smile when his hand brushed hers and her heart beat, very audible to all vampires present, sped up.

_She loves him, _I thought. Everything was falling into place.

Driving to the dance, Jasper couldn't keep his hands to himself. "Jazz!" I scolded him, placing his hands back in his own lap.

"I'm sorry," he sulked like a puppy that was struck with a newspaper. "In my defense, it's Edward's fault. If you could feel what he's feeling."

I smirked. "I can. The electricity isn't conspicuous!" We laughed as the three cars in our little convoy came to a stop at the back of the Forks High Gymnasium.

Decked out like a bad movie version of what a high school dance should be, I had to laugh at the decorations. A group of underclass watched me as I swung my legs out of the car. I liked the attention, but a rumble in Jasper's chest told me he felt otherwise. I didn't have to wait long to lose the boys, though, as Rose stole the show in her low cut neckline and the waist high slit in her dress. She was a vision of perfection as always.

Edward and Bella were the last to enter and I heard many a female voice muttering their astonishment at the couple. I turned. Bella was hanging on to him for dear life.

_A table in the back perhaps_, I thought looking to Edward.

He nodded and we made our way across the empty dance floor to a table closer to the back of the gym where we could hide from the majority of the student populace.

A Big Band had set up on the makeshift stage and had begun to play as we sat down. Milling couples stepped onto the floor. When Angela and Ben walked over, Rosalie and Emmett decided to put their own moves to the test. Knowing Rose was human when Big Bands were all the rage, I was confident that she could cut a rug with the best of them.

"Bella! You look gorgeous," she exclaimed. Beautiful herself, Angela's pale skin sparkled under the midnight black empire waist dress. An elegant silver medallion sat in the middle of her bust, draw attention to her pretty face and graceful neckline.

Mike Newton walked over with his date, Lauren Mallory, and her lackey, Jessica Stanley. Edward visibly bristled when the three approached. But, they addressed each of us in a very civil manner.

"Want to dance?" Lauren asked Edward. Her dress, a poorly made and pathetic imitation of a Euro-trash club dress, was almost painted on her flesh. A vibrant red, the dress, a halter top, cut low enough to give Rosalie a run for her money, all the way down past her navel. I wondered if she was wearing panties.

Behind her, Jessica smirked. Her dress reminded me of a zebra that got caught in a blender. Clearly the designer meant well, but the execution and material choice was flawed. The monstrosity was tied together in a bright fuchsia bow.

"I'm sorry, Lauren," Edward began. "But, I thought I explained my position. I am Bella's date tonight. So," he turned to the blushing Bella, "you are going to have to ask her. Bella?"

She audibly gulped. "No, I'm sorry. Edward is going to be otherwise occupied this evening." I almost laughed. Bella was brilliant. Lauren face fell like stone and a scowl took its place. I wondered if she would jump over the table and punch Bella, not that a table full of vampires would allow that to happen. But, nonetheless, she looked capable of it at the moment.

As quick as the confrontation began, the girl turned away from the table. Trying to ignore Bella's presence, Lauren struck up a conversation with Angela as the band began a new song.

"Would you dance with me, Bella?" Ben asked, extending his hand for her. Edward stiffened and then smiled. It was sweet to watch Bella look to Edward before accepting.

_Honorable intention? _I asked Edward and he scooted from his seat to the Bella's vacant one next to me.

"The only thought in his mind is of how pretty Angela looks tonight," Edward whispered. "He and Angela are a sweet couple."

He smiled and his attention refocused to Ben and Bella swaying awkwardly on the floor. Lauren's chatter seemed to cease and I noticed she had finally wandered off, leaving Angela to find another table of students to talk to.

"_You really like her, don't you?"_ I asked, placing my hand on his leg. We both watched her and her partner weaving in and out of the growing crowd on the dance floor.

He nodded and smiled. But, I caught a sadness in his eyes. His smile hadn't reached them.

"Edward? What's wrong?" I asked trying to coax him to talk with just Jasper and I sitting at the table.

He sighed. "I never know if I can trust myself around her," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"You still crave her blood?" Jasper asked.

"No," he shuttered. "The opposite: I can not imagine hurting her. I just … well I feel so open with her. It's just that I am …" He paused.

"You're afraid," I finished and he nodded. "The man has a flaw," I joked. Jasper sat confused on the other side of the table.

"He's, finally, acting like the teenager he looks like." Jasper still was puzzled.

"He's afraid Bella doesn't like him the way he likes her," I explained. Edward nodded. "Tell him Jasper," I finished with a nod of my head.

"She … well. The only thing that rivals the feeling she gets around you is how you get around her. It's one of the strongest emotions I've ever felt. It's like you're mirrors of each other," Jasper finished.

"She likes me?" he asked, his teenaged hormones finally catching up with him.

"No," I said with finality. His face fell slightly. He was confused.

"But, I thought you said …" he stuttered.

I held up one finger to stop him. "I think she is falling in love with you. You. Not this exterior of perfection but Edward, the man inside."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Do you think so?" he asked.

"Yes," Jasper and I answered in unison.

"What's with the loopy grin?" Emmett asked, plopping down beside Rosalie.

"He's in love," Rose stated.

"With who?" Emmett thrashed around in his seat looking at all the students in the gym.

"With Bella, you …"Rosalie began before being interrupted.

"Where is Bella?" Jasper asked.

Emmett and Edward stood and scanned the teens huddled on the dance floor. Bella and Ben were no where in sight. "There's Ben," said Rosalie pointing to the beverage table.

"Where's Bella?" Edward asked, panic in his voice.

I felt the air move around me as the world went foggy …

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**AN: Angela's, Lauren's, and Jessica's dresses can be found along with Bella's, Alice's and Rosalie's in my profile.**


	21. In Times of Despair

AN: Hi guys, I know this is a really short chapter but I am getting over food poisoning. (It was a rough weekend.) And to top it off, it snowed 12 inches since midnight last night. (I live in Boston, MA so I guess I shouldn't be complaining. I should have known what I was getting into ... living around here and all.) But I promise you that I will have the next chapter up as soon as vampirically (not humanly ... vampirically) possible. Enjoy and remember R&R please :)

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**Last chapter:**

"_Where is Bella?" Jasper asked._

_Emmett and Edward stood and scanned the teens huddled on the dance floor. Bella and Ben were no where in sight. "There's Ben," said Rosalie pointing to the beverage table._

"_Where's Bella?" Edward asked, panic in his voice._

_I felt the air move around me as the world went foggy …_

_

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_

**Edward's Point of View**

I watched Bella dance with Ben. Should I have let her go off that easily? It should be me out there dancing with her, holding her in my arms, feeling the heat of her skin inches from me.

"_You really like her, don't you?"_ Alice asked, placing her hand on my leg. I watched her dance. I was not sure about much but I was certain that I did not like her. I could not fathom how to processes what I actually felt, but I knew that there was more to it than a simple emotion. It was not a crush, or infatuation, or even … love. It was so concrete, so tactile. But, there was always a fear, if ever so small that she could never feel this way about me, an abomination.

I nodded and smiled. Alice, always the watchful sister whether she knew it or not, had caught my apprehension

"Edward? What's wrong?" she asked. With Rosalie and Emmett dancing up a storm, I felt safe talking to Alice and Jasper. They already knew and felt what was going on. From these two, I could hide nothing.

I inhaled deeply and sighed. "I never know if I can trust myself around her," I spat out.

"You still crave her blood?" Jasper asked, I saw the slight twinge of fear in his eyes. He believed he was the weakest of us, though I wondered at my own resolve daily.

"N-no," I shuttered, uncharacteristically. "The opposite: I can not imagine hurting her. I just … well I feel so open with her. It's just that I am …" _so afraid of an unrequited love._

"You're afraid," Alice finished my sentence. I affirmed it with a nod. "The man has a flaw," Alice smiled, joking to herself, but Jasper remained confused.

"He's, finally, acting like the teenager he looks like," Alice explained but I could tell he still was puzzled.

"He's afraid Bella doesn't like him the way he likes her," Alice finished and I nodded. Sometimes, I wondered who the mind reader really was! She was right though. My deepest, darkest fear, other than loosing Bella, was that she would never or could never return the love I feel with her.

"Tell him Jasper," Alice asked noticing my sullen turn.

Jasper inhaled deeply. He was fishing through images of Bella and me in his mind. It was an almost like an out of body experience, watching scenes you have only sat through first hand.

"She … well. The only thing that rivals the feeling she gets around you is how you get around her. It's one of the strongest emotions I've ever felt. It's like you're mirrors of each other," Jasper finished.

"She likes me?" I asked, astonished. Bella liked me? It might not be love but it was a start. Something might grow from "like."

"No," Alice said with finality. I could feel my face fall. A tidal wave of sadness flushed through me. How could I delude myself so? What did they mean then … mirrors?

"But, I thought you said …" I asked, more and more confused by the second. I would have jumped out of my chair and physically sifted through Alice and Jasper's mind myself if I thought it would have cleared the situation up.

Alice held up one finger to stop my words. "I think she is falling in love with you. You. Not this exterior of perfection but Edward, the man inside."

It was not a crush or a simple lustful hope she held. She might be falling in love with me. "Do you think so?" I asked.

"Yes," Jasper and Alice answered in unison.

_Edward looks like a fool, what's he so happy about? _Emmett wondered, walking back to our table.

"What's with the loopy grin?" Emmett asked, plopping down beside Rosalie.

"He's in love," Rose stated.

_Girls always know_, I thought with a smile.

"With who?" Emmett thrashed around in his seat looking at all the students in the gym.

"With Bella, you …"Rosalie began before being interrupted.

"Where **is** Bella?" Jasper asked.

Bella? She had not returned when the song ended. I stood in haste hardly noticing Emmett at my side. There was no sign of her on the dance floor. Her scent, so heady moments ago when she was by my side, had almost disappeared amongst the other odors of sweaty teens in the gym.

"There's Ben," said Rosalie pointing to the beverage table. I turned but Bella was not by his side. _She should have come back by now_, my mind screamed.

"Where is Bella?" I asked my siblings. I could hardly mask the panic taking over.

_Edward!_ I heard Alice shriek as she slowly fell to the ground. Jasper had stopped her descent.

Alice's mind slipped into a vision. She had the forethought to call my attention back to her. _That's my smart Alice_, I thought. I tuned into her vision and a shroud of mist flew through my vision.

_Darkness pulled around a building. The door, crimson in color, was pulled open and four figures found refuge within the bleak expanse of night. Three members of the party were dragging the fourth. They roamed through the halls, flanked on either side by large navy blue boxes. Lockers, they were in a school building. Another door was opened and then another. _

_The person who had been carried into the building was unceremoniously thrown to the floor. A figure pulled away from the group of three. They raised a hand and slapped the prone individual. The figure on the floor stirred, seemingly regaining composure and realized the predicament that they were in. _

_Another slap. Another slap. A balled fist and a kick to the shoulder. The ring leader of the group began to pummel the figure on the ground. Their hair fell loose around them as they pulled into a ball protecting his or her most vital parts. "Stop," the figure plead. It was a woman. _

_A savage kick to the arm was delivered in answer. A gash ran the length of her forearm. Blood pool away from her body. _

_The kicker, the leader, was a female. Her blonde hair was illuminated in by the moon light the shown in through a bank of windows. "I told you, the first day, remember. You touch my man again and I'd make you bleed. Do it again, and I'll kill you." Her sickening words made the male and female figure behind her shudder. They backed away as she delivered another blow. _

_The woman on the floor had stopped pleading with her. Thinking her unconscious, the group pulled her farther into the room and behind another door, shutting it before leaving._

_The figure on the floor shifted and moaned a name so low, no one would have heard it. No one, but a vampire. "Edward."_

My body slammed out of Alice's vision and we gasped in unison. Had this happened already? Could it be prevented?

I knew who she was. The figure on the floor was Bella. Mike and Jessica had dragged her away from the dance. Lauren, never one to do the heavy lifting, roughed Bella up and left her someplace. She must be in one of the many buildings spread out over campus.

I had to find her. My mind was still in shock though. How could Lauren do this? How could Jessica and Mike sit by and let her? Was she demented?

Alice jumped up pulling me along with her. "Emmett," she called to him and tossed him her cell phone. "Call Charlie Swan. Tell him that something has happened and they need a squad car to swing by."

"Edward," she said turning to me. "You need to find her."

I shook my head. I felt fuzzy. More odd though, I finally felt something. Like I had been wrapped in cotton for the past century. I felt everything around me. Fear. Anger. Rage. But above all, I felt her. I needed Bella. And, right now she needed me.

"Come with me," I appealed to Alice. "I might need your help. The blood …"

"No, Edward," she said, shaking her head and backing up. "You have to do this alone. I haven't hunted recently. Mistakes could be made. Hurry, Edward. She needs you."

I walked towards the exit of the gym and into a cavernous hallway. I could smell her. Fresh freesias in full bloom. Bella had been here. I turned to check with Alice. Would I be in time? How badly hurt was she?

"Find her," she mouthed from across the gym and I took off after her scent.


	22. Bella Notte

**Author's Note:** So, I wanted to say "thank you" for waiting so long between updates even though I PROMISED a speedy update. I stink. I know. Sorry. On a happier note, I want to thank Alicelaughed for helping me out so much! She's not a Beta … she's Better! (Read her stuff, it's the kitten's mittens!)

**And now for some shameless self-promotion:** If you would be so nice, please check out my newest fanfic "Send Me A Song." All human cast set in 1846 Ireland, just before the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine. All our favorite and not so favorite characters will show up. (Yes, vjgm, even that VILE MIKE NEWTON, only in a different incarnation!)

* * *

**Last chapter:**

_I walked towards the exit of the gym and into a cavernous hallway. I could smell her. Fresh freesias in full bloom. Bella had been here. I turned to check with Alice. Would I be in time? How badly hurt was she?_

"_Find her," she mouthed from across the gym and I took off after her scent._

_

* * *

_**Bella's Point of View**

I heard the swoosh of air before I felt the sting. A hand had slapped me, viciously, across the face. Blurrily, my vision returned. Where was I? Vaguely familiar, like comparing one room to another in a cheap motel, this room reminded me of others. It looked like one of the classrooms in the freshman hallway. I couldn't be sure though. The lights were off and three figures huddled in the darkness.

_Bella run_, a velvety smooth voice advised. I swiveled my head looking for the source. There was no one else in the room but the three figures towering over me. _Get up and run_, it said again. Smooth and silky, the tone was reminiscent of the calming lap of waves on a sandy beach.

I tried to pull myself to my feet but something wasn't right. The adrenaline pumping through my veins must have had the opposite affect on my body. It felt weighted, like my legs were made of lead instead of flesh and bone. I couldn't stand. I couldn't run. My fight or flight response puttered in vain to kick in as sheer terror filled me, sending goose bumps the length of my body.

My heart sped up, pounding in my ears, as a figure, rigid and silent, stepped away from the group and drew back a hand.

The second slap stung as bad as the first and I recoiled, hitting my head against a desk in my haste to turn away. My vain hopes of an ending were dashed away when a third even more painful slap braised my other cheek. Cold and metallic, I felt something drag across my skin. Who ever had hit me had paused to turn a ring on their hand around, presumably to inflict more damage.

I tried to catch my breath and turn back to my attacker when a vicious fist slammed into my jaw. I dropped to the cool radiance of the cheap school flooring as searing heat arced across my face. Grabbing for my mouth, my jaw was tender but, at least it wasn't broken. Yet.

I had no idea what was going on but I had a feeling that it was far from over.

Sprawled on the ground, I was in a vulnerable position. The group of three could do anything they wanted to me. A savage kick met my shoulder and I howled in pain. Instinctively, I pulled myself into a ball. I didn't care if my dress tore or if my makeup smeared, I had to protect myself as best as I could.

Although there were three of them, the bulk of the assault was coming from one person. I tried to catch their attention, plead with them with a look, but each dropped their eyes, almost ashamed that they were watching this happen. If they weren't going to hurt me, why were they just standing there?

_Fight, _a voice deep within my subconscious urged. _Defend yourself. _Afraid that the other two might change their minds and join with the first assailant, I didn't want to make any movements to provoke them. With three against one, I knew I would never be able to stave them all off. "Stop," I pled, hoping that they would leave me be.

A brutal kick was my answer. The pain surged from my wrist to my chest in torrents of blinding ache. I felt it as the shoe tore open the delicate flesh running from my forearm to my elbow. The cut wasn't large but the skin had pulled taut and split from the sheer force of the blow. Blood flowed from the wound. The overpowering smell of salt and rust pulled me away to the brink of unconsciousness.

I wanted to scream and cry, to lash out and prevent more brutality, but my queasy stomach rolled. Valiantly, I pushed my resolve and was able to keep the nausea at bay.

It was silent as I lay on my back, panting for every labored breath. I could feel my attacker lean in to hover above me, close enough to begin her battle anew. It was a woman with stringy, straight blonde hair. Cheap perfume on her skin and booze on her lips, she prodded me with her foot making sure I was still alive. She exhaled deeply and gripped my still throbbing jaw to turn my face towards her. I kept my eye held fast. I didn't want to look at her if I didn't have to.

"I told you, the first day, remember. You touch my man again, and I'd make you bleed. This is your last warning: do it again, and I'll kill you," she threatened. I knew that intimidating voice anywhere: Lauren.

It was clear now that she meant the words she spoke. If I were to get out of this night alive, she would haunt me until Edward and I were driven apart. The future looked bleak, if there was a future to look forward to at all. I still was not sure that the three would not leave me here, on the cold linoleum floor of this class room, to die.

_Play possum, _the helpful voice of my imagination instructed.

So, I lay, not moving, as if Lauren's final blows had knocked me unconscious. A final kick was delivered to the small of my back and I heard Mike call to Lauren in a low voice, "That's enough. Let's go."

"Put her in the closet," Lauren instructed. Mike and the other figure must not have moved. "Do I have to do everything myself?" Lauren asked.

She shoved her arms under my own and began dragging me to the back of the classroom. A door creaked and I was let go. Lauren pushed me through the door way into one of the supply closets that every room in the high school had. Before slamming the door, I felt something wet hit my face. Fighting a natural reflex to whip it off, I lay motionless.

"Did you have to spit on her?" I heard the voice of Jessica ask.

"Its not like she doesn't deserve it," Lauren answered. "Come on. We're missing the dance."

Three sets of feet shuffled off and out of the room. I heard the door to the classroom close with an ominous finality. I tried to move. I wanted to lock the door so Lauren couldn't return to finish the job she had started.

Pain radiated from the cut on my arm. My jaw ached terribly. Agony washed over me. Would I ever find a place that I was accepted? A place where I could live in peace and find a tiny sliver of happiness? If I made it out of this, I knew Charlie would ship me off to live with Renee and Phil, who were looking at homes in Florida as we speak. My life was like a game of hot potato.

Why couldn't I be safe at home in bed, curled up with my blankets and a well worn novel? But, the lure of the dance had been overwhelming, and I wouldn't have traded the first few moments of this evening for the world. I smiled and my mandible creaked, sending a shock of pain through my neck and back.

Hoping to rid the pain swirling in the hazy vortex of my brain, I whispered the name of the only person I wanted by my side. "Edward."

As if my utterance had called them back, I heard a mad rush of feet in the classroom outside of my hiding place. If it was Lauren, she would know where I was already. After all, she was the one who left me here. But, on the off chance that this might be help …

I couldn't risk it.

I backed up into the supply closet as far as I could, hiding behind a rack of books. I tried to steady my breathing, in case I had to hold it when Lauren opened the door to search for me. My heart was pounding so hard, I'm sure she could have heard it.

The footfalls in the classroom ceased as I slowed my exhalation. Maybe, she had left again, figuring that I had made a break for it and …

A forceful whoosh of air stole the breath from my lungs as the door to the closet was ripped from its frame. The wooden portal smashed and scraped against the metal desks. In vain, I wanted to scream but couldn't seem to catch the breath that had been stolen from me.

My hands raised to my face as waves of terror washed over me. Lauren was here to kill me. I was going to die and I would never have the chance to tell him how I felt. To tell Edward that I loved him, that I couldn't stand the thought of not being around him. Whether he felt the same way or not, I knew I wanted his friendship. I could have been the best friend he ever had. But now, I would never have the chance.

Tears fell as everything I felt since coming to Washington erupted from inside of me. Joy, fear, love, pride, anxiety. A guttural yell, originating from deep inside at the very core of my being, escaped and I sobbed unchecked. I cried for Edward. I cried for everything that never was, that could never be.

Arms wrestled with my own in the dark room. Fine particulate, kicked up when the door had raked across the plaster wall, flushed through the air. I couldn't see Lauren, but I knew what she was here for. If it was a fight she wanted, it was a fight she would get.

I threw my right arm, uninjured in the earlier beating, back and swung wild, trying desperately to connect with any part of her body. Instead, I felt arms circle me.

I thrashed about, trying urgently to get free.

"Bella, stop please," the voice in my head pled with me. The sweet aroma of honey and shades of cinnamon floated through the room and clouded my head. Oddly, at what I assumed would be my final moments, Edward's scent appeared and his voice rang in my ears.

I pulled my eyelids together, hoping that if this was the end, at least I could hold on to my most precious memories.

"Can you open your eyes?" Edward's voice asked. The sadness of it reverberated through my brain. "Please," it pled with me. Even now, I could deny him nothing.

My eyes shot open. Before me was the last thing I had expected.

Golden eyes bore into me. _Edward_, my mind screamed when my voice failed me.

"Oh," I gulped aloud before the darkness engulfed me, shifting my vision.

"Breathe," I heard him beg of me. "Come back to me, Bella."

Who could argue with a voice that beautiful? Like a flower blooms in the bright morning sun, I slowly felt the world open up for me, again. Edward sat with me on the floor of the classroom, rocking me back and forth against his chest. "Bella," he exclaimed seeing I was awake.

His fingers brushed the hair from my face. "Bella, I tried to get here sooner. Alice didn't see it happen until …"

"No," I interrupted, noticing where we were. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm sorry." I couldn't stop the words from repeating over and over again until he pulled me into his chest. "Can you ever forgive me?" I gasped.

He looked at me perplexed. "Why?" His bronze hair, untidy and otherworldly, moved as he shifted his head, staring at me like the answer might appear across my forehead in bold letters.

I pointed to the small pool of blood in the corner of the room near the now decimated closet. "The blood," I sighed, resigned to my fate. I feared that Edward would tear out of the room and head for parts unknown, leaving me alone, just like everyone else had. He might even think I had done this on purpose, that I had Lauren and her gang of miscreants.

"I wish I knew what you are thinking, Bella," Edward confessed with a sigh. "Until you pointed it out, I was only dimly aware of it." How was that possible?

The look on my face must have asked the question for me.

"I was far too concerned for your well being," he acknowledged, taking my still trembling hand in his own. "When I saw Alice's vision, when I thought you were hurt, all I could feel was rage. I needed to find you, to make sure you were well. I've never felt a loss like that. I could have sworn that my soul had been rent in two. I was sure that I was going to kill them when I found them. All three of them."

"It was Lauren," I confirmed, my voice still frayed with emotion. He shook his head. He knew. He must have seen her in Alice's vision. "And Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley."

I didn't want him to leave, but he was standing, moving away from me. I tried to follow him, grasping at the hem of his shirt. When he noticed, he turned and helped me up, sitting me in one of the few unmangled desks.

"Thank you," I croaked as his hands reached for my face. I pulled away from his touch, sure he would be repulsed. I couldn't help it. All the fear and fatalistic thoughts from the whole evening were pushing down on me, pinning me to this spot. I didn't want him to see how hard this was for me. I didn't want the pain to scream in my eyes and burst forth in my tears. I looked down at the floor trying to maintain my composure.

"Please don't," he asked, slowly lifting his hand to graze my bruised cheek. "I know I ask so much of you, but please, for my sake, can you look at me?"

I lifted my head and allowed my eyes to meet his. He sighed and his lovely breath swirled around. I hoped that some of his scent would linger in my hair as a small souvenir of this moment. "Just as I remembered," he muttered. "Beautiful."

I scoffed, laughing off his comments. "You know. I think I've had a rough enough night as it is. I can't take anymore lying."

A stern look glazed his face. "I would never lie to you." He spoke in a firm manner, clearly articulating each word, allowing their merit to sink in.

He thought I was beautiful. For all his intelligence, I wondered if certain vampires had a warped sense of reality. "Edward, how can you expect me to measure up to you?" I asked him, seriously.

"My beauty is just another one of the tricks of my kind. Like my speed or memory. Just another lure, if you will," he allowed his own head to drop down, ashamed with himself.

Didn't he know that's not what I was talking about? "No. Not this," I said touching the sleek skin of his face with the back of my hand. "This."

My palm stopped above his still heart. "This, right here."

He stopped moving as if I'd crossed a boundary line, as if I was invading his private space. Closing his eyes, I listened to his rhythmic breathing. "You might be beautiful to look at, Edward. No one in their right mind could deny that. But, there are thousands of beautiful people in the world."

His piercing eyes slowly opened and fixed with my own. My free hand found one of his and moved it to cover the hand I had placed over his heart. The electricity crackled, almost audibly. He watched me, almost warily, as if he doubted the words I spoke. "Edward, you are different from them. In here, in your soul, it's beautiful. How do I compare to you?" I asked rhetorically.

"I can't," I answered myself, not allowing Edward a word. "I never will be able to. You deserve better."

My voice petered out. "What do I have to offer?" I couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. I didn't want to know how right I was. I didn't want to see it in his face; the confirmation might kill the little piece of my heart that was left.

His fingers found the tender skin below my jaw line and raised my face.

"Bella, you are all I will ever … ever need," he spoke in tattered breaths. Sincerity radiated from his pores, palpable in the room. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn Jasper was lurking nearby, using the powers Alice told me earlier that he possessed. "I think … no, I know, that I am falling in love with you, Isabella Swan."

My giddy and rebellious my heart thumped a crazed beat in my chest. I'm sure my mouth had dropped open.

I was dumbstruck. Was he serious? This had to be some cruel joke. He was falling in love with me? ME? Boring Bella? Bella moo-cow? I'm a nobody. Didn't Edward get it? Maybe I wasn't being clear enough. I'd have to clear up the situation before I let my emotions run away with themselves.

I tried to speak, but a single finger pressed to my lips impeded me. "Just hear me out," he asked in supplication, now on his knees before the desk I sat at. "I know you might not feel the same way and it's a lot of work to be in a relationship, especially, under … special circumstances, be that as it may, but I would like to try."

Now, I was speechless. He was serious. My heart soared. I could feel it trying to beat its way free from my chest. "Edward Cullen, are you asking me out?" I asked, incredulous.

He smiled like a middle schooler, ducking his head, half-ashamed for asking, half-dancing in place, awaiting my answer.

"Well then …" I paused, feigning thought. "My answer is yes."

His smile threatened to crack the limits of his face. I'm sure mine was not far behind. A moment passed. Edward began slowly to lean in towards me, his eyes afire with light as he snaked a hand behind my head and pulled me towards him.

Was this to be my first kiss? I couldn't believe it. Edward wanted to date me. Edward wanted to kiss me. And then his words rebounded in my brain: Edward was falling in love with me. He loved me.

It was then that something deep inside shifted. The numbness I had felt around my heart since before I could remember was gone. Simply vanished. I felt. Not just pain or the heartache that I so desperately tried to stave off but … joy. Or possibly … love?

My brain snapped to attention. That was it. _Oh, Bella. How could you have been so dumb?_ I thought.

I loved him. With every fiber of my being. I loved him. I knew he had done nothing to deliberately win me over. It just happened. I almost screamed it aloud. _I loved him. _

And, inexplicably, he loved me. Somehow, in some warped reality, he, Edward Cullen, felt something for me, Bella Swan. I still wasn't positive he was sane. I mean, he thought I was beautiful. Maybe … maybe he meant that I was beautiful to him.

That was it. I was beautiful to him. Maybe I'd never be compared to the likes of Alice or Rosalie. But, I was beautiful to him just as he was the most beautiful creature in the world, to me. He thought he was a monster, but he had opened up to me. And I could see it. He was beautiful.

I cracked a smile. We were two completely opposite beings, in almost every respect, but we found each other. It felt like my soul sighed.

His lips were still moving closer and closer. My hopes soared. I loved this man. I loved his soul. I loved his heart. I loved the way he made me feel when I was with him. I loved the way I could make him.

And suddenly, the door to the classroom flew open and a flashlight was shining in my eyes. "Chief Swan, I found Bella," Edward began. He had jumped up when Charlie burst into the room.

"BELLA!" Charlie shouted and pushed his aged body to its max running to my side. Ever the worrisome father, he checked me over looking for damage.

"Nothing life threatening, I think," Edward stated when Charlie came across the cut on my arm.

"Carlisle is here. I'd like him to check her out, though," Charlie said cutting me out of the conversation.

"I think it wise," the "younger" man agreed.

Edward lifted me to my feet and held my arms as we walked out of the classroom and down the hallway.

"So, what happened?" Charlie asked. "I got a call from Emmett saying I needed to bring a squad car or two down. That there was some trouble."

I tried to hide my face. How would they react when I explained what I'd done? It was so stupid.

"Well," I began. "I went to the girls' bathroom, the one right off the gym. I just wanted to see if Ben had wretched my hair when we swooped around the dance floor. I don't know if you saw it," I said turning to Edward. "But at one point, he spun me and my shoe almost went flying off."

Edward tried to hide the amusement at the thought of my shoe flying through the gym and hitting some unsuspecting classmate in the head. "Well, I thought I was alone in the bathroom. And out of no where, Lauren was behind me, holding onto my dress, pulling me backwards."

"Lauren Mallory?" Charlie asked. I nodded.

"She pushed me out of the bathroom and into the waiting arms of Mike and Jessica. I was so scared. But, the thing is, when Lauren and I came out of the bathroom, Mike and Jessica looked almost as scared as I felt."

Edward nodded.

"Lauren put her arm around me and pulled me into the hallway with the two of them. She smelled like vodka. Cheap vodka and too much perfume."

"Yeah," Charlie muttered, hoping I would continue.

"Lauren said she just wanted to talk to me and that if I came along that she wouldn't make Mike tie me up. I was looking at him when she said that. Dad," I called turning to him. "Dad, Mike and Jessica had no idea what she was going to do. I saw it in their eyes. They had no idea."

Charlie harrumphed.

"Lauren dragged me out of the gym building and then …" I stopped, trying to remember what had happened. My memory was fuzzy. Lauren had insisted I keep quiet and she turned to close the building door behind us. Then, her arms were around my head, her thumbs pressing into my face. There had been a smell, like ammonia, but sweeter, much sweeter. "I think … I think Lauren put a rag soaked in something over my mouth."

"Hold still," Edward asked stopping Charlie and I. He leant in and smelled my lips. His bronze hair tickled my cheeks in such close proximity. "Hmm. Ether, I'd say."

"Great. So, then, we'll add assault,kidnapping, possession of an illegal substance, and forced use of a controlled substance to Lauren's charges, which include attacking a officer of the law and evading arrest," Charlie finished, taking my hand.

"I don't remember how I got there but I woke up in the classroom with Lauren hovering above me. And then she just … lit into me," I explained, recounting the attack. "She spit on me when she left," I finished.

"Did you catch them?" Edward asked as we exited the building and began our way down the path. Red and blue lights flashed around the sides of the brick faced gymnasium. Most of the students in attendance had gathered on the lawn outside to watch the melee.

"Lauren led a few of my deputies on a nice little chase through the woods but we've got her now," Charlie said motioning to a squad car. It rocked back and forth occasionally as inarticulate screams burst through the quieter murmur of the students who had gathered at the first sign of commotion.

"But, Mike and Jessica came right over when we arrived and confessed everything. It seems that they had no idea what Lauren really meant to do to you. Honestly, my judgment as a father is a little blurred when it comes to this matter, but…"

Edward cut him off. "I spoke to them on the way to find Bella, sir. They had no idea what she was capable of, but, in the same respect, they did nothing to stop Lauren."

"Hmph," Charlie said putting his police face back on. "Well, I still think we'll be taking them in for questioning. Let's get you to Carlisle," he finished, helping me walk over to an ambulance where Dr. Cullen was waiting for us.

"Let's see," Carlisle asked, reaching for my arm. His ice cold fingers traced over the open wound. "It's not so bad. Mostly superficial."

Charlie leaned in to examine the dried patch of spit on my face. "If possible, can you collect a sample of that there?" he asked pointing the dried spot. "If we have to take this to court, it will be some concrete evidence that _girl_ was in there with Bella. Not that Mike and Jessica's testimony won't hold up but you never can be too sure."

Carlisle nodded and turned back to me, swabbing my face and gently probing the bruises that were beginning to form along my body.

As Carlisle checked me over, Alice broke away from Jasper and rushed, at human speed, to my side. "Can I help?" she asked tentatively of the doctor beside us.

"There's minimal blood," Carlisle stated, matter-of-factly. He continued to rotate my arms, checking for dislocations or a brake. "And other than wrapping her arm, Bella should be fine."

Alice's face broke into an uncharacteristic pout.

"Alice," I called to her, drawing her gaze from the ground. She sighed and returned the smile that I gave her. "I need your help."

It was a moment before her eyes lost the glazed appearance they had so quickly gained. She smirked and then nodded.

"Yes," she said. "You do need my help. You'll never be able to go back to the dance looking like this." Without a second thought, she began pulling bobby pins from her own hair and repining the disheveled mess upon my own head. Alice fixed in a few short minutes what would have taken a stylist more than an hour to complete.

Putting the last pin in place, Alice stepped aside to let Charlie come talk to me. He had been hovering close since Carlisle began looking at me. I guess that when you're as accident prone as I am, your parents become gun shy.

Edward, who had not let go of my left hand since he found me huddled in the closet, took a step off the bumper of the ambulance and whispered to Alice. Walking back towards the gym, she rejoined Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

"Chief Swan," Edward said, addressing Charlie. "I need to speak with you for a moment, privately."

I was desperate for Edward not to go to far. He caught the fear in my eyes when Charlie motioned for him to follow around the side of the building and away from the prying ears of the gathered students.

Parked on the edge of the lot, Edward instead herded Charlie around the side of the ambulance, staying close enough for me to hear.

"What's the matter, son?" Charlie asked, placing his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"I wanted you to hear this from me first, just in case charges need to be pressed," Edward said and then audibly inhaled a deep and unnecessary breath. "During the course of the events that transpired tonight, I laid my hands on Lauren."

"To restrain her. I heard from Mike that you had, but that she, also, had kicked you pretty hard and wriggled free," Charlie confirmed.

"Well," Edward began again. "I came across them as they were leaving the Building 1. I just knew something had happened when Alice told me Bella had left with them. Lauren has been harassing Bella since she came to Forks. Lauren was acting like a maniac when I found them, trying to pull near me one second and lashing out with her fists the next. I held her arms to her sides and told that she would never touch Bella, again."

Edward paused.

"Actually, I told her that **if** she ever hurt Bella again, that I would tear her limb from limb. So, you see Chief Swan, I may have threatened her life," he finished.

"I see." Charlie was pacing now. He clucked his tongue against his teeth and exhaled as if he were expelling the weight of the world with his breath. "Edward," Charlie started, pulling close to the teenager, who was in fact twice his age. "How about this: unless Lauren decides to file a complaint, I'll just forget what you've told me?"

"If you think that is prudent, sir."

"I do," Charlie spoke in an almost conspiratorial tone. Edward nodded his acceptance. "Alright."

Moments passed and Edward was back at my side. "How are you, my dear?" he smiled down at me. _My dear_. I don't know if I'd ever get tired of hear those words from his lips.

"She'll be right as rain in a few days," Carlisle answered in his lilting British accent.

"Can she return to the dance?" Edward asked glancing back towards the doors of the gymnasium where the Cullen siblings were waiting for us. "We have yet to have our first dance."

"Oh, Edward," I exclaimed, realization dawning on me. "I'm so sorry. I've completely ruined your night."

"Bella, this was meant to be _our_ night. And nothing you have done or could do will ruin it for me because I am here with you," he said, unaffected and genuine love oozing from his voice.

"Good night, Edward. It was lovely to see you, Bella," Carlisle said to us before walking away.

_Us, _I thought to myself. I liked the sound of that.

The good doctor muttered something, much faster, to his children, who turned and ushered all the students back into the gym.

"Would you like to go back or maybe you would rather head home?" Edward asked. I stepped off the bumper of the ambulance where Carlisle had deemed me fit for dancing and took Edward's hand, pulling him toward the gym. He smiled in response.

The crisp night air pulled in around us as we made our way down the concrete walkway. Edward stopped me less than 30 feet from the open gymnasium doors. The slow music of a ballad had picked up. "Would you dance with me?" he asked, ever the gentleman.

"Out here?" I asked looking around at the moonlit path. He nodded.

"Alice is screaming for us to stay out here," he said, concentrating on his sister's unheard voice. "Something about … oh, she says it will be worth it. And now she is singing. Lovely. Shall we?" he offered his hand. Cold and hard as marble, his hand formed around my own. His other hand hovered at my waist, waiting for me to step closer to him.

I moved into the embrace as his scent tickled my nose. It was divine. Instinctively, I nuzzled into his stone chest and his arms closed around me. We swayed to the sound of the band wafting through the open doors and windows. Clarinets began the melody in a rhythmic wave.

A sweet rumble began in Edward's chest and a deep tinkling of bells ran in my ears. Looking up to his face, I realized Edward was singing along with the female voice crooning to the crowd inside. His eyes smoldered into me as he sang.

"At last my love has come along  
My lonely days are over  
And life is like a song"

His voice was beautiful. I felt myself melting in his arms as he continued swaying us back and forth. I tried to burn everything about this moment into my memory: the feeling of the cold, dewy grass on my bare feet, the gentle wind that swirled Edward's scent around me, the feeling of his hand in mine, but most of all the gentle caress of his smile.

"Oh Bella, don't cry," Edward said and touched my cheek. It was then that I noticed the big fat tears streaking my cheeks. Thank God for Alice and her streak free mascara. His fingers brushed them away and lingered on my cheek. My skin tingled and burned where his hand waited for my reaction.

His eyes never left my face, searing straight through me. I had to look away. I knew how he felt, but I still had trouble believing my luck. Edward Cullen … loved … me. ME. I sighed and tried to look everywhere, anywhere but at him.

The gymnasium was perched at the very edge of the woods. Darkness pulled in tight around us only to be broken by the occasional shaft of a moon beam. A tiny flash of light caught my attention. And then, another and another and another.

Hundreds, no thousands of vibrant flashes were sparkling around us. "Look," I instructed Edward, who was still staring at me.

He laughed. Could this night get any more perfect? "Fireflies," he stated. "And so many of them for this season and in Washington, no less."

He turned back to me and drew me to his chest. "You know," he began. "They say that fireflies are attracted to beauty."

Awestruck, I simply held on to him and watched the blinking bugs whiz around us until I noticed that Edward had stopped moving. Stone still, his face gazing straight up into the heaven, he muttered to no one in particular, "thank you."

Feeling bold, I put my hand to his cheek. "May I try something?" I ask him.

A worried look etched into his brow. "It depends. What?" he balked at my request.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him. His golden eyes locked with mine and he nodded warily.

"Hold still," I whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. Regaining his carefully crafted composure, he froze. Even still, his eyes were rapidly darting around, wondering what I was up to. "Just wait."

With my arms around his neck, I drew myself up on tippy-toes. This close, his eyes blazed with a tsunami force of energy. His ochre irises roiled and twisted before me but, still, my motion was focused on one thing. His lips.

I closed my eyes and leaned closer, bringing my lips mere millimeters from his. I stalled, exhaling. Would he want this? Was I taking advantage of the situation? Would he prefer it if I let him make the first move? Would he think me too forward? Was I on the verge of ruining everything?

Without warning, I felt his stone lips graze my own. Electricity jolted across our lips. I exalted in the feeling. It was intense but sweet.

I pulled back. "Ah," I sighed breathlessly, not controlling my emotions.

"Thank you," was all Edward said. His eyes spoke volumes that he was keeping quiet. So volatile a moment before, they were serene, placid, like a mountain lake on a spring morning. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're thanking me?" I asked.

"I was wondering how I was going to ask your permission to do that," he said. That was my Edward, always the gentleman.

I laughed. The sound of it bounced off the trees. "Next time, don't think, just kiss me," I said as his hands moved up and cupped my face. His eyes drove into me. Deep and lingering, I knew I had found something in him, found something in me. For once in my life, I felt whole and complete.

A hundred heart beats passed as I gazed into his soul. It might have been one heart beat. I couldn't tell.

He smirked his devastating smile. The boy was perfect. He made me feel just as perfect. _A girl could get used to this. _

"Just kiss me," I whispered, breathless.

His crooked grin danced across his face and lit his eyes as he drew me close to his chest and tilted my head up towards his own. His lips blazed across mine.

_I could definitely get used to this, _I thought as he twirled me around, never breaking our kiss.

* * *

**Thank you for reading … don't forget … read and review AND THEN … go check out "Send Me A Song," my newest fanfic! **


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